Researchers used two separate models to assess the impact of PulseNet on averting illnesses. A “recall” model helped to assess the effect of identifying outbreaks from contaminated food products faster, and a “process change” model identified the indirect effects of pinpointing illnesses early, such as the information that detection provided to regulators and industry.
Cost savings were calculated based on the product of expected cost per illness for each contaminating pathogen and the number of illnesses likely averted by PulseNet.
“This evaluation of PulseNet demonstrated significant economic and public health benefits from the system,” the authors wrote. “These benefits are driven by improvements in outbreak detection, which provide industry and government with valuable information, while exposing food producers to increased threat from litigation and reputation losses. This ultimately leads to adjustments in processes that reduce foodborne illness. The measurable costs of the program, in contrast, are very modest.”
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