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Can Monitoring Telehealth Ontario Respiratory Call Volume be a Component of an Effective Public Health Influenza Surveillance Strategy?

Description

Influenza epidemics occur seasonally, impose a high economic burden on the health care system, and are responsible for substantial morbidity and mortality (1). The past century has seen three influenza A pandemics with variable severity. The recent outbreaks of avian influenza involving different virus strains in Asia, North America and the Netherlands, indicates the increasing potential of a new influenza pandemic (2). Public and political awareness needs to be strengthened while public health surveillance strategies need significant improvements if we are to mitigate such a potentially devastating worldwide pandemic, and provide the healthcare system with as much early warning as possible to enhance preparedness. Telehealth Ontario is a provincial telephone helpline for health information staffed by nurses that, if monitored on a real-time basis, has the potential to identify increases in seasonal respiratory infection rates. A recent study suggested that Telehealth Ontario respiratory calls reflect the seasonality of diagnosed respiratory illnesses in emergency departments (van Dijk et al., unpublished data), but an estimation of how respiratory pathogens contribute to Telehealth Ontario’s respiratory complaint calls has not been studied.

Objective:

This paper will explore the possibility and utility of monitoring Telehealth Ontario respiratory calls as an efficient public health influenza strategy for early warning by comparing this data source to provincial viral lab data.

Submitted by elamb on