Evaluation of a New Web-Based Reporting Tool for Animal Bites in Georgia *

BACKGROUND:   Rabies is endemic in wildlife in Georgia; 350-450 animals are confirmed with rabies each year, including 20-30 domestic animals. Timely and complete reporting of animal bites is critical in preventing human and domestic animal rabies. Although bites are notifiable by law in Georgia, prior to 2012, the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) did not have a centralized reporting system. Reports were received from numerous agencies through myriad electronic and paper-based methods. In 2011, DPH developed the Animal Bite Module (ABM) within the web-based State Electronic Notifiable Disease Surveillance System (SendSS). The ABM is a single portal for bite reporting, bite investigation data, and rabies testing results. Training for the system was completed in mid-2012; the ABM was launched statewide in January 2013.

METHODS:   The 2004 CDC guidelines for the evaluation of surveillance systems were used as a template for this evaluation. Animal bite data from 2009-2010 were reviewed and compared with the number and completeness of reports in the ABM for 2012-2013. 501 ABM users were surveyed electronically to determine satisfaction, usage, and timeliness of the ABM versus their previous reporting methods. User surveys were disseminated by email to reporting agencies on January 9, 2014 with a deadline of January 31, 2014 for completion.

RESULTS:   Within a 14-month period in 2009-2010 (the last year before ABM training was introduced), 4414 bite reports were entered into non-ABM SendSS; 3,601 (82%) were entered electronically and 813 (18%) by DPH from paper reports. During the first 14 months of ABM implementation, 11,216 unique bite incidents were reported in the module. As of January 15, 2014, 90 (17.9%) surveys were completed. 67 (74.4%) agencies were able to enter an incident in less than 30 minutes. 60 (66.7%) found the ABM to be timely, 74 (82.2%) were satisfied with the ABM, and 56 (62.2%) said it improved bite reporting. Final results are pending the survey deadline.

CONCLUSIONS:   The number of bites reported in the ABM during the first 14 months of use was 3.1 times higher than that from 2009-2010. There is no evidence to suggest that animal bites have increased in Georgia, but the difference suggests missed opportunities for rabies prevention. ABM reports are more complete because they now contain laboratory results and animal disposition information, both critical for rabies post-exposure prophylaxis risk assessments. Users of the ABM find it timely, simple, and flexible as an improved reporting tool for bite incidents.