CHSN provides key data on health care needs and service utilization of American college students

Approximately 1,500 health services exist on United States college campuses providing medical and behavioral services to students. The College Health Surveillance Network (CHSN) provides a unique database on the health status and health care utilization of college students. The Open Access article "College Health Surveillance Network: Epidemiology and Health Care Utilization of College Students at US 4-Year Universities," from the Journal of American College Health (JACH), provides data on methodology, demography, epidemiology, and health care utilization from the CHSN.  JACH is the official publication of the American College Health Association (ACHA).

Twenty three universities, representing approximately 730,000 enrolled students, contributed data from January 1, 2011, through May 31, 2014. Participating schools uploaded de-identified electronic health records from student health services monthly. During this study, just over 800,000 individuals used the health centers, comprising 4.17 million patient encounters. Sixty percent of visits included primary care, 13% mental health, 9% vaccination, and 31% other miscellaneous services. The 5 most common specific diagnostic categories (with annual rates per 100 enrolled students) were preventive (16); respiratory (12); skin, hair, and nails; infectious non-sexually transmitted infection (5 each); and mental health (4). Utilization and epidemiologic trends are identified among subpopulations of students. CHSN data establish trends in utilization and epidemiologic patterns by college students and the importance of primary and behavioral health care services on campuses.

The authors conclude: "The epidemiologic data available from CHSN provide a better understanding of the clinical needs of subpopulations of students and may help colleges plan appropriate services. Finally, the data suggest areas for further investigation such as the differences in utilization rates between private and public universities, finer granularity and understanding of utilization differences by sex (e.g., male utilization is much lower, suggesting a need for outreach services specific to male college students), age, and race/ethnicity as well as within diagnostic categories such as mental health, substance abuse, travel health, and STIs. As college health services face new levels of accountability and reorganization, CHSN offers the capability of more rigorous assessments of the health care needs and service utilization of American college students."