USE CASE: Population Surveillance of Adolescents and Adults with Congenital Heart Disease
The Colorado School of Public Health combines expert faculty and dedicated students to change the way public health professionals train and address the complex health issues spanning countries and cultures.
Project Summary: The Colorado School of Public Health has assembled a team of epidemiologists, health informatics, adolescent and adult congenital heart disease (CHD) cardiologists to develop a state-wide population-based surveillance system of congenital heart defects among individuals aged 11 to 64 years in Colorado. CO APCD data will allow the surveillance system to estimate the burden of CHD among adolescents and adults in Colorado, identify factors associated with long-term outcomes and assess issues that impede the transition from pediatric to adult-centered cardiac care. The project is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Colorado was selected as one of five sites across the U.S. to develop a surveillance system for CHDs across the lifespan.
Benefit to Colorado: The ability to identify and track this new and growing population of adolescents and adults with congenital heart defects in Colorado is critical for providing effective life-long care. The findings from this project will lead to improved understanding of health outcomes and the racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic patterns of health care use for adolescents and adults with CHD.