Emerging infections, both natural and intentional, have provided an impetus for improved disease surveillance and response. The recognition of the interdependence of health care systems and public health infrastructure provides an opportunity to expand beyond traditional disease-based surveillance to a more comprehensive, integrated approach that leverages existing electronic information. The Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital system is uniquely positioned to perform multi-institutional enhanced electronic surveillance. A wealth of electronic information and technology resources are available in all VA hospitals and their associated clinics, as each facility uses the same standardized Computer Patient Record System. Influenza-like illness (ILI) is a common clinical syndrome of diverse etiology that presents with respiratory and systemic symptoms. The NC health department mandates the reporting of ILI from emergency departments to facilitate monitoring of seasonal ILI and serve as an important component of pandemic preparedness. Existing surveillance systems utilize an ICD-9 respiratory code screen and subsequent manual chart review which is timeconsuming and insensitive. Automated medical record review using more comprehensive electronic data may improve the system’s timeliness and efficiency.
Objective
To use data collected by NC-VET to create an automated ILI surveillance program and compare its accuracy and efficiency to the existing program.