Evaluation on hand, foot, and mouth disease surveillance system in Uthai Thani province, Thailand, 2012

Abstract

Background: Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) is a notifiable in the national disease surveillance system of Ministry of Public Health Thailand. The HFMD is prone to outbreak among children who age below 5 years old. The reported HFMD case of Uthai Thani in 2556 was 119.83 cases per hundred thousand populations. Uthai Thani Health Offices conducted the surveillance evaluation of HFMD in all hospitals. The objectives aimed to determine the effectiveness of surveillance systems, to study the quantitative and qualitative attributes of surveillance system and to improve the evaluation and monitoring system.
Methods: Cross-sectional study was conducted. The medical records were reviewed by inclusion criteria of HFMD and other diseases which diagnosed during 1 January to 31 December 2012. We interviewed hospital staffs in all stakeholders who involved surveillance system. The study of quantitative attributes was also carried out only sensitivity, predictive value positive and accuracy.
Results: The sensitivity of the HFMD surveillance system in all hospitals during 2012 was fair as 58.19% and predictive value positive was good of 70.71%. The accuracy of age and gender reported in the surveillance was 100% and onset date was correct as 92.20%. The hospital staff who relevant with surveillance system had high good attitude and cooperation. The system had stability and flexibility. The usefulness was good among hospital staffs.
Conclusions: General hospital and community hospitals in Uthai Thani had fair quantitative attributes (sensitivity and PVP) but good in qualitative attributes such as acceptability, stability and flexibility. But it should have more well trained personnel staff to improve the surveillance system function especially timeliness.