Public Health Potential of a Disability Tracking System: Analysis of U.S. Navy and Marine Corps Physical Evaluation Boards 2005–2006

Abstract

Clinical and demographic data in administrative disability tracking systems have the potential to support disability reduction programs. We analyzed recent Navy Physical Evaluation Board data, compared our findings with previous studies, and evaluated the quality of the case-tracking database as a public health information system. The overall rate of cases was 50% higher than in 2000 and 40% higher than the rate of new long-term group disability insurance claims. The most common diagnostic categories remain musculoskeletal disorders, injuries and poisonings, mental health conditions, and neurological syndromes. Diagnosis rates have increased in every category since 2000. The tracking system provided unprecedented timeliness and data accessibility, but fell short of its full potential as a public health tool due to poor information quality. Improved interface design and data entry processes combined with improved reporting capability will enhance its epidemiological value. Continued system improvement requires functional evaluation in conjunction with periodic data analysis.

A Review of Data Quality Assessment Methods for Public Health Information Systems

“…The main aims of the studies are assessing the quality of data (19 publications [30,34,42,44,46,47,48,49,50,51,52,53,54,55,56,57,58,59,60]) and assessing the performance of the PHIS (17 publications [15,22,34,40,42,45,50,58,61,62,63,64,65,66,67,68,69]). Five studies assessed data use and explored the factors influencing data use [26,27,52,70,71].…”

“…They include the National Coronial Information System managed by the Victorian Department of Justice in Australia, women veteran mortality information maintained by the U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs, and military disability data from U.S. Navy Physical Evaluation Board [47,52,64]. …”

“…All of the institutional publications and 28 research papers, a total of 35 articles, conducted assessment of the quality of data [15,22,30,34,40,42,44,45,46,47,48,49,50,51,52,53,54,55,56,57,58,59,60,61,62,63,64,65,66,67,68,69,72,73,74]. Matheson et al introduced the attributes of data quality but did not give assessment methods [71].…”

Does Coordinated, Multidisciplinary Treatment Limit Medical Disability and Attrition Related to Spine Conditions in the US Navy?

“…Spinerelated conditions are among the most common musculoskeletal problems reported by active-duty service members. Spine conditions deplete the military of trained, experienced personnel [4,5,20,24].…”

Isokinetic strength of fully operational U.S. Navy Seals with a previous history of shoulder and knee injury

“…The prevention of unintentional musculoskeletal injury is a continued focus of human performance managers and medical personnel in the military due to the high prevalence and significant impact that injury can have on performance and tactical readiness [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]. In comparison to general purpose forces, injury preven-tion in U.S. Special Forces may have amplified importance due to the high intensity and volume of physical and tactical training as well as the high-risk missions they execute [9].…”