Innovative Approach for Screening Foodborne Illness Complaints

A local health jurisdiction needed to improve the process of screening and reviewing incoming foodborne illness complaints. This consultant developed an innovative application which advised inspectors whether a foodborne illness complaint was valid, the possible pathogens, and the likely source of an outbreak. This consultant developed this application by embedding complex epidemiologic-based algorithms within the application.

As a result, the application won numerous awards, including the Excellence in Environmental Health Award by the State's Conference of Directors of Environmental Health, and the Productivity and Quality Award by the County Board of Supervisors. This application was also presented at the World Congress of Environmental Health. From a disease control perspective, the application resulted in better detection of outbreaks through better linkage of sporadically reported cases. Additionally, this application resulted in a cost avoidance savings of $51,000 per year for the local health jurisdiction.

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