The National Retail Data Monitor (NRDM) monitors anonymous sales of over-the-counter (OTC) healthcare products to identify disease outbreaks. The goal of the NRDM has been to bring this type of public health surveillance data to health departments to meet the nation’s need for the early detection of oubreaks and bioterrorism.
Since its activation with public health departments in December 2002, the number of retail pharmacy, grocery, and mass merchandise operations that participate in the NRDM has grown to more than 28,000 stores, from nine chains. More than 800 public health officials, across 49 states, the District of Columbia, and US territories, have had access to the system via protected user accounts.
Historically, the National Retail Data Monitor was supported by a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Health (ME-01-737), the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the Passaic Valley Water Commission, the Department of Homeland Security and a consortium of health departments including those from New York, Ohio, Utah, Washington, Indiana, Michigan, Arizona, Texas, Nevada, Los Angeles, and San Diego.
Access to the National Retail Data Monitor is available to public health officials solely for the purpose of public health surveillance. Data is accessed through a web interface, secure file transfer, a SOAP web service or a Python library.