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Displaying results 1 - 8 of 18
  • Utilizing a Patient Tracking System for Public Health Emergencies

    Content Type: Abstract

    In 2003, the need for a system to track and manage patient status and location was identified by Boston Emergency Medical Services (Boston EMS) and the Conference of Boston Teaching Hospitals. After consultation with EMS (… read more
    … service, to ensure continuity during disaster situations. All data is sent to out of state servers and fed to a secure website, where it is then available to users according to …
  • Technical Challenges from the Public Health Practice Community to Statisticians and Analysts

    Content Type: Webinar

    On May 28th, 2009, the ISDS Research and Public Health Practice Committees hosted a joint panel with the goal of bringing current challenges faced by public health practitioners to the attention of the research community at large. Members of both… read more
    … identifying the actionable information that exists within all of these data/signals? Previous Approach n  Look across … How could this work as integrated electronic solution? Do De Do. . . Skip a Few Our Usual Way to Focus on Statistical … while almost all of the influenza-like illnesses (are due to) this new virus, the actual percent of visits that …
  • Syndromic Surveillance in Boston: Validating the Detection of Small Events and Integrating Response from a Local Health Department

    Content Type: Abstract

    The interpretation of aberrations detected by syndromic surveillance is critical for success, but poses challenges for local health departments who must conduct appropriate follow-up and confirm outbreaks. This paper describes the response of the… read more
    … CUSUM is used to detect signals of potential interest. All signals are reviewed daily by BPHC communicable disease … likely due to an unidentified virus. Available lab tests did no identify any pathogens. CONCLUSIONS The utility of … investigation. 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 1/1 1/15 1/29 2/12 2/26 3/12 3/26 4/9 4/23 Date N o. o f v is its (v om iti ng ) …
  • A Syndromic Approach to Emergency Department Surveillance for Skin and Soft Tissue Infections

    Content Type: Abstract

    The incidence of and hospitalizations for SSTI have steadily increased over the last decade in the United States, primarily due to the emergence and spread of community acquired Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA). The ED is a… read more
    … over the last decade in the United States, primarily due to the emergence and spread of community acquired … over the last decade in the United States, primarily due to the emergence and spread of community acquired …
  • Bio-Surveillance and Enhanced Situational Awareness

    Content Type: Abstract

      Syndromic surveillance has been used to detect variation in seasonal viral illnesses such as influenza and norovirus infection (1). Limited information is available on the use of a comprehensive bio-surveillance system, including syndromic… read more
    … daily by the BPHC syndromic surveillance system from all 10 Boston EDs. Three gastrointesti- nal (GI) syndrome … 6.00% 8.00% 10.00% 12.00% 1-Dec 15-Dec 29-Dec 12-Jan 26-Jan 9-Feb 23-Feb 9-Mar Pe rc en t o f E D V is its fo r N … (p=0.004). In the previous year, these two syndromes did not correlate (p= 0.076). Of 18 outbreaks, specimens …
  • Using Syndromic Surveillance for All-Hazards Public Health Surveillance: Successes, Challenges, and the Future

    Content Type: Journal Article

    Fifteen years have passed since the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002 called for the establishment of nationwide surveillance and reporting mechanisms to detect bioterrorism-related events. In the… read more
    … established surveillance systems to detect prediagnostic (ie, before diagnoses are confirmed) signs and symptoms for … established surveillance systems to detect prediagnostic (ie, before diagnoses are confirmed) signs and symptoms for … Using Syndromic Surveillance for All-Hazards Public Health Surveillance: Successes, …
  • Syndromic Surveillance and Zip Code Data: The Role of Zip Codes in Understanding Populations

    Content Type: Abstract

    Syndromic surveillance systems use residential zip codes for spatial analysis to identify disease clusters. However, the use of emergency medical services can be influenced by geographic proximity, specialty services, and severity of illness. We… read more
    … Massachusetts. The proportion of Boston residents (n=26,560) who sought care at any particular site ranged from … with neighborhood socio-economic markers. CONCLUSIONS All Boston hospitals demonstrated wide variability in the …
  • Cross-Disciplinary Consultancy to Enhance Predictions of Asthma Exacerbation Risk in Boston

    Content Type: Journal Article

    This paper continues an initiative conducted by the International Society for Disease Surveillance with funding from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency to connect near-term analytical needs of public health practice with technical expertise from… read more
    … and modelers.  Discussion finalized design of an 8-year de-identified dataset of Boston ED patient records for … and modelers.  Discussion finalized design of an 8-year de-identified dataset of Boston ED patient records for …