Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/43240

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Title
Identifying pneumonia outbreaks of public health importance: can emergency department data assist in earlier identification?
Author/Creator
Hope, Kirsty;  Durrheim, David N.;  Muscatello, David;  Merritt, Tony;  Zheng, Wei;  Massey, Peter;  Cashman, Patrick;  Eastwood, Keith
Institution
The University of Newcastle. Faculty of Health, School of Medicine and Public Health
Description
Objective: To retrospectively review the performance of a near real-time Emergency Department (ED) Syndromic Surveillance System operating in New South Wales for identifying pneumonia outbreaks of public health importance. Methods: Retrospective data was obtained from the NSW Emergency Department data collection for a rural hospital that has experienced a cluster of pneumonia diagnoses among teenage males in August 2006. ED standard reports were examined for signals in the overall count for each respiratory syndrome, and for elevated counts in individual subgroups including; age, sex and admission to hospital status. Results: Using the current thresholds, the ED syndromic surveillance system would have trigged a signal for pneumonia syndrome in children aged 5-16 years four days earlier than the notification by a paediatrician and this signal was maintained for 14 days. Conclusion: If the ED syndromic surveillance system had been operating it could have identified the outbreak earlier than the paediatrician's notification. This may have permitted an earlier public health response. Implications: By understanding the behaviour of syndromes during outbreaks of public health importance, response protocols could be developed to facilitate earlier implementation of control measures.
Relation
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health Vol. 32, Issue 4, p. 361-363
Publisher Link
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1753-6405.2008.00255.x
Date
2008
Publisher
Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Asia
Keyword(s)
Emergency Department Syndromic Surveillance System;  New South Wales;  public health;  outbreaks;  control measures;  response protocols
Resource Type
journal article
Identifier
http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/43240
Identifier
ISSN:1326-0200
Reviewed
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Subject
"Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health"
 
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