We’ve recently gathered a bit of buzz about the custom application for the Winnebago County Health Department that allows schools and day care centers to enter their absentee rates securely online – this is helping WCHD respond more quickly to “hot spots” that have significant numbers of students out with flu-like symptoms.
Previously, data was collected via phone, fax, snail mail, etc. And while the system is voluntary, WCHD says the app will dramatically reduce the staff hours needed to compile all the data….which ultimately means WCHD professionals can respond to flu outbreaks quicker, which allows for a healthier Winnebago County.
We were talking this morning about how else an app such as this can be used. Obviously other health departments would find it useful, but what about manufacturers who need to track and respond quickly to massive amounts of quality data or organizations that want to track productivity in a large workforce.
Data tends to pile up in the day-to-day of running a business – how much more could you accomplish if you actually had a way to efficiently enter and review your data?
About the WCHD Flu-Tracker App
With the recent focus on the H1N1 (Swine) flu, WCHD was looking for a way to protect the community from an outbreak, and tracking absences in which influenza may be the cause will be a huge help in their efforts. Schools and public daycare facilities will be sent notification of the system along with a username and password that will allow them to visit http://www.wchd.org, click on the Daily School Absenteeism button, log into the system, and report any absences where flu-like symptoms are a known factor. Once information is entered, the system will display what percentage of the staff and students are affected. An outbreak occurs when the percentage is greater than 10%, and this must be reported immediately, by phone, to the WCHD. Information gathered through this mechanism will assist the WCHD’s epidemiologist in completing the influenza activity surveillance report for Winnebago County which is uploaded weekly to the website.
