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Reporting-form
Medical practitioners are an
essential source of health information about infections in their community. The considered
opinions of physicians on aetiology, time of onset, likely risk factors and the occurrence
of other cases, apparently related to the index case, are key epidemiological variables.
The nature of the data available to the general practitioner differs from that derived
from laboratories. Laboratories can provide reliable, timely information on the possible
aetiology of a case and may, because of access to the cases of many doctors, become aware
of possible outbreaks not recognised by individual physicians.
In most instances, information from both sources is necessary to build up a picture of the
dynamics of any particular agent of infection. This information, when combined with
hospital separation statistics, death records, interstate and international health
information enables a surveillance authority such as the Communicable Disease Control
Branch (CDCB) to produce health
intelligence that constitutes the basis for appropriate public health action. The Public & Environmental Health Act
The Public and Environmental Health Act
1987, as amended,
facilitates the collection of this information by:
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Placing a duty upon doctors and laboratories to forward
any relevant data on cases of Notifiable Diseases as designated in Schedules 1 and 2 of
the Act to the South Australian Health Commission (SAHC).
-
Absolving the reporting doctor and laboratory from any
legal liability concerning consent to release that information. Thus consent does not
arise as an issue with regard to notifications made in good faith. It is wise however, to
inform a patient that the case will (or may) be notifiable and that they may be contacted
during any further investigation.
-
Preventing release by the SAHC of data so collected to any
person not involved in the investigation. Notification data containing personal details
can only be secured by court order.
Through this is the general legal framework for the
collection of Notifiable Disease data, the format of the report and the quantity and
nature of the data required can be determined by SAHC.
Reporting to the Communicable
Disease Control Branch
Rapid communication from general practitioner or
laboratory to the CDCB is appropriate for some conditions. In general, these are instances
where urgent action may be required and direct interaction with the medical practitioner
is the first step in that process. In other instances, the practitioner may elect to
directly communicate sensitive material, obviating the need to transmit hard copy by mail.
The collection and transmission of notifiable disease data is facilitated by the use of
the standard notification/reporting form (see link
below).
This form seeks common core data that includes patient
identification, age, sex, residential location, date of onset, as well as details
pertaining to the reporting doctor. Other sections then seek information of relevance to
the particular condition, be it a Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD), enteric infection or
vaccine preventable disease. These sections prompt the medical practitioner to seek
relevant epidemiological data as part of normal history-taking and may in fact lead to the
elucidation of vital information earlier than would be the case if further investigation
is left to the public health authority alone.
General practitioners play a vital role in the public health system also by advising on
measures to restrict the transmission of infection and, in some instances, administering
prophylaxis to contacts.
Notification information &
data
Detailed notes on the administrative features of
notification of communicable diseases in South Australia are to be found in Notifiable
Diseases Handbook including initial actions, definitions, follow-up and counselling etc.
Data collected at the CDCB is stored using the Notifiable Diseases Data Management System
(NDDMS).
List
of diseases notifiable under
Section
30
of the Public and Environmental Health Act (1987)
A
summary of notifiable diseases in SA featuring influenza &
other respiratory illnesses ~ including epidemiological features, year-to-date,
3 year summary and investigated outbreaks summary (updated
weekly)
Reporting
form
Report
of notifiable disease or related death form ~ can be downloaded, completed and either posted or faxed to
the Communicable Disease Control Branch. This form is not to be sent
by email for reasons of confidentiality.
To notify AIDS, HIV, hepatitis B or C or sexually transmitted
infections to the STD Control Branch: a special form will be forwarded
automatically to the doctor upon a positive laboratory result.
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