OBJECTIVE: Study the decision to issue a boil-water advisory in response to a spike in sales of diarrhea remedies or wait 72 hours for the results of definitive testing of water and people. METHODS: Decision analysis. RESULTS: In the base-case analysis, the optimal decision is test-and-wait. If the cost of issuing a boil-water advisory is less than 13.92 cents per person per day, the optimal decision is to issue the boil-water advisory immediately. CONCLUSIONS: Decisions based on surveillance data that are suggestive but not conclusive about the existence of a disease outbreak can be modeled.
OBJECTIVE: Study the decision to issue a boil-water advisory in response to a spike in sales of diarrhea remedies or wait 72 hours for the results of definitive testing of water and people. METHODS: Decision analysis. RESULTS: In the base-case analysis, the optimal decision is test-and-wait. If the cost of issuing a boil-water advisory is less than 13.92 cents per person per day, the optimal decision is to issue the boil-water advisory immediately. CONCLUSIONS: Decisions based on surveillance data that are suggestive but not conclusive about the existence of a disease outbreak can be modeled.
Authors: M M Wagner; F C Tsui; J U Espino; V M Dato; D F Sittig; R A Caruana; L F McGinnis; D W Deerfield; M J Druzdzel; D B Fridsma Journal: J Public Health Manag Pract Date: 2001-11
Authors: Phaedra S Corso; Michael H Kramer; Kathleen A Blair; David G Addiss; Jeffrey P Davis; Anne C Haddix Journal: Emerg Infect Dis Date: 2003-04 Impact factor: 6.883
Authors: W R Mac Kenzie; N J Hoxie; M E Proctor; M S Gradus; K A Blair; D E Peterson; J J Kazmierczak; D G Addiss; K R Fox; J B Rose Journal: N Engl J Med Date: 1994-07-21 Impact factor: 91.245