OBJECTIVES
To assess the feasibility of chronic disease surveillance using distributed analysis of electronic health records and to compare results with Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) state and small-area estimates.
METHODS
We queried the electronic health records of 3 independent Massachusetts-based practice groups using a distributed analysis tool called MDPHnet to measure the prevalence of diabetes, asthma, smoking, hypertension, and obesity in adults for the state and 13 cities. We adjusted observed rates for age, gender, and race/ethnicity relative to census data and compared them with BRFSS state and small-area estimates.
RESULTS
The MDPHnet population under surveillance included 1 073 545 adults (21.8% of the state adult population). MDPHnet and BRFSS state-level estimates were similar: 9.4% versus 9.7% for diabetes, 10.0% versus 12.0% for asthma, 13.5% versus 14.7% for smoking, 26.3% versus 29.6% for hypertension, and 22.8% versus 23.8% for obesity. Correlation coefficients for MDPHnet versus BRFSS small-area estimates ranged from 0.890 for diabetes to 0.646 for obesity.
CONCLUSIONS
Chronic disease surveillance using electronic health record data is feasible and generates estimates comparable with BRFSS state and small-area estimates. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print July 20, 2017: e1-e7. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2017.303874).