Electronic health records (EHR) are the digital version of a patient's paper chart and may include medical history, diagnoses, prescriptions, lab results, and other critical health information. EHR may provide data that- in comparison to more traditional health data sources, such as hospital discharge records and community health surveys- are more timely, more accurate, and better able to describe health disparities in local communities. However, there have been few efforts to date to understand EHR's utility for chronic disease surveillance.  

As part of a National Environmental Health Tracking Program initiative to explore the utility of EHR for chronic disease surveillance and in partnership with Kaiser Permanente Northern California, CEHTP conducted a pilot study to assess the feasibility, validity, and utility of EHR. The assessment focused on diabetes- a disease with environmental links and of high concern to local health departments- in two California counties. Using records for blood levels of glycohemoglobin, which indicates how well blood sugar is being controlled, CEHTP found that EHR were useful for documenting diabetes disparities by geography, race, and income.

Map of diabetes control in Solano and Contra Costa Counties, as indicated by laboratory glycohemoglobin data

In the resulting white paper, we:

An analysis of diabetes control for Contra Costa and Solano Counties is also described in the white paper. 

This publication was supported by the Cooperative Agreement Number 5U38EH000953-05, funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.