The prompt detection of disease outbreaks is a major concern to public health as it has the potential to reduce morbidity and mortality (1). Real-time syndromic surveillance uses existing non-traditional data for timely analysis and feedback to those responsible for investigations and follow-up of potential outbreaks (2). Recent studies have suggested that integrating multiple data sources can significantly improve detection accuracy of syndromic surveillance systems, but more work is needed to explore the most effective means of said integration and what types of data streams give the greatest benefit (3;4).
Objective:
This paper will examine the temporal relationship between OntarioÃs emergency department (ED) visits and telephone health line (Telehealth Ontario) call volume for respiratory illnesses, in an effort to test the feasibility of using Telehealth OntarioÃs system for real-time surveillance.