Open AccessConsiderations Before Establishing an Environmental Health Registry
Author(s) -
Vinicius C. Antao,
Oleg Muravov,
James H. Sapp,
Theodore Larson,
L. Lászlo Pallos,
Marchelle Sanchez,
G. David Williamson,
D. Kevin Horton
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
american journal of public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.284
H-Index - 264
eISSN - 1541-0048
pISSN - 0090-0036
DOI - 10.2105/ajph.2015.302642
Subject(s) - disease registry , public health , scope (computer science) , agency (philosophy) , environmental health , medicine , disease , environmental epidemiology , business , computer science , nursing , philosophy , epistemology , pathology , programming language
Public health registries can provide valuable information when health consequences of environmental exposures are uncertain or will likely take long to develop. They can also aid research on diseases that may have environmental causes that are not completely well defined. We discuss factors to consider when deciding whether to create an environmental health registry. Those factors include public health significance, purpose and outcomes, duration and scope of data collection and availability of alternative data sources, timeliness, availability of funding and administrative capabilities, and whether the establishment of a registry can adequately address specific health concerns. We also discuss difficulties, limitations, and benefits of exposure and disease registries, based on the experience of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.