Database development for the Monitoring and Surveillance Center for Zoonotic Diseases in Wildlife and Exotic Animals Faculty of Veterinary Science Mahidol University with Microsoft Access

Abstract

            The Monitoring and Surveillance Center for Zoonotic Diseases in Wildlife and Exotic Animals (MoZWE) is a unit that provides laboratory analysis services for the general public. At our center, data storage was previously managed using Microsoft Excel, which led to issues such as redundant data entry and prolonged data retrieval times. Therefore, this study aimed to develop a database management system to enhance operational efficiency by utilizing Microsoft Access. The study was based on laboratory test data from MoZWE over a six-year period, from January 3, 2018, to December 28, 2023, totaling 61,794 test records. The data were divided into two periods: a two-year pre-system development period and a four-year post-system development period. The impact of the new database management system was evaluated by comparing the delay in reporting results before and after its implementation.

            The study found that, before system development, delays in reporting test results occurred at 4.1% in 2018 and 6.6% in 2019. After implementing the new system, the delay rates decreased significantly, with 0.7% in 2020, 0.8% in 2021, 1.2% in 2022, and further reduced to 0.5% in 2023 even the number of laboratory test records increased significantly each year.

            The research findings demonstrate that utilizing Microsoft Access to manage the MoZWE database effectively reduces delays in reporting laboratory test results with the enhanced ability to store, retrieve, and analyze large volumes of laboratory test data, the system enables faster decision-making, more accurate reporting, and better resource allocation, ultimately benefiting both laboratory personnel and service users.