Evaluating Behavioral Health Surveillance Systems

• Published in: Preventing chronic disease 2018-05, Vol.15, p.E53-E53, Article 170459
• Main Authors: Azofeifa, Alejandro, Stroup, Donna F, Lyerla, Rob, Largo, Thomas, Gabella, Barbara A, Smith, C Kay, Truman, Benedict I, Brewer, Robert D, Brener, Nancy D
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System; Government Programs; Health Behavior; Humans; Original Research; Population Surveillance; Preventive Health Services; Public Health Surveillance; United States
• ISSN: 1545-1151; 1545-1151
• DOI: 10.5888/pcd15.170459

In 2015, more than 27 million people in the United States reported that they currently used illicit drugs or misused prescription drugs, and more than 66 million reported binge drinking during the previous month. Data from public health surveillance systems on drug and alcohol abuse are crucial for developing and evaluating interventions to prevent and control such behavior. However, public health surveillance for behavioral health in the United States has been hindered by organizational issues and other factors. For example, existing guidelines for surveillance evaluation do not distinguish between data systems that characterize behavioral health problems and those that assess other public health problems (eg, infectious diseases). To address this gap in behavioral health surveillance, we present a revised framework for evaluating behavioral health surveillance systems. This system framework builds on published frameworks and incorporates additional attributes (informatics capabilities and population coverage) that we deemed necessary for evaluating behavioral health-related surveillance. This revised surveillance evaluation framework can support ongoing improvements to behavioral health surveillance systems and ensure their continued usefulness for detecting, preventing, and managing behavioral health problems.