Description

The Emerging Pathogens Initiative (EPI) database contains emerging pathogens information from the local Veterans Affairs Medical Centers (VAMCs). The EPI software package allows the VA to track emerging pathogens on the national level without additional data entry at the local level. The results from aggregation of data can be shared with the appropriate public health authorities including non-VA and the private health care sector allowing national planning, formulation of intervention strategies, and resource allocations. EPI is designed to automatically collect data on emerging diseases for Veterans Affairs Central Office (VACO) to analyze. The data is sent to the Austin Information Technology Center (AITC) from all Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture (VistA) systems for initial processing and combination with related workload data. VACO data retrieval and analysis is then carried out. The AITC creates two file structures both in Statistical Analysis Software (SAS) file format, which are used as a source of data for the Veterans Affairs Headquarters (VAHQ) Infectious Diseases Program Office. These files are manipulated and used for analysis and reporting by the National Infectious Diseases Service. Emerging Pathogens (as characterized by VACO) act as triggers for data acquisition activities in the automated program. The system retrieves relevant, predetermined, patient-specific information in the form of a Health Level Seven (HL7) message that is transmitted to the central data repository at the AITC. Once at that location, the data is converted to a SAS dataset for analysis by the VACO National Infectious Diseases Service. Before data transmission an Emerging Pathogens Verification Report is produced for the local sites to review, verify, and make corrections as needed. After data transmission to the AITC it is added to the EPI database.

General Information

• This data is described at

  http://catalog.data.gov/dataset/emerging-pathogens-initiative-epi Do you think this data is incorrect? Let us know

• This data is published by

  Department of Veterans Affairs Do you think this data is incorrect? Let us know

Legal Information

• The rights statement is at

  http://catalog.data.gov/dataset/emerging-pathogens-initiative-epi Do you think this data is incorrect? Let us know

• Outside the US, this data is available under

  Creative Commons CCZero Do you think this data is incorrect? Let us know

• There are

  yes, and the rights are all held by the same person or organisation Do you think this data is incorrect? Let us know

• The content is available under

  Creative Commons CCZero Do you think this data is incorrect? Let us know

• The rights statement includes data about

  its data licence Do you think this data is incorrect? Let us know

• This data contains

  no data about individuals Do you think this data is incorrect? Let us know

Practical Information

• The data appears in this collection

  http://catalog.data.gov/organization/va-gov Do you think this data is incorrect? Let us know

• The accuracy or relevance of this data will

  go out of date but it is timestamped Do you think this data is incorrect? Let us know

• The data is

  backed up offsite Do you think this data is incorrect? Let us know

Social Information

• The documentation includes machine-readable data for

  title Do you think this data is incorrect? Let us know

• The documentation includes machine-readable data for

  description Do you think this data is incorrect? Let us know

• The documentation includes machine-readable data for

  identifier Do you think this data is incorrect? Let us know

• The documentation includes machine-readable data for

  landing page Do you think this data is incorrect? Let us know

• The documentation includes machine-readable data for

  publisher Do you think this data is incorrect? Let us know

• The documentation includes machine-readable data for

  keyword(s) or tag(s) Do you think this data is incorrect? Let us know

• The documentation includes machine-readable data for

  release date Do you think this data is incorrect? Let us know

• The documentation includes machine-readable data for

  modification date Do you think this data is incorrect? Let us know

• The documentation includes machine-readable data for

  temporal coverage Do you think this data is incorrect? Let us know

• The documentation includes machine-readable data for

  language Do you think this data is incorrect? Let us know

• Find out how to contact someone about this data at

  http://catalog.data.gov/dataset/emerging-pathogens-initiative-epi Do you think this data is incorrect? Let us know

• Find out how to suggest improvements to publication at

  http://www.data.gov/issue/?media_url=http://catalog.data.gov/dataset/emerging-pathogens-initiative-epi Do you think this data is incorrect? Let us know