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Displaying results 9 - 16 of 17
  • 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
    … to describe the epidemiology of emergency department (ED) visits for skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI) in an … absence of laboratory data, to estimate the burden of ED visits associated with SSTI, and to determine potential … to describe the epidemiology of emergency department (ED) visits for skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI) in an …
  • Analysis of Syndrome Definitions for Gastrointestinal Illness with ICD9 Codes for Gastroenteritis during the 2006-07 Norovirus Season in Boston

    Content Type: Abstract

    We report on a retrospective analysis of gastrointestinal syndrome definitions based on chief complaints and ICD9 diagnosis for gastroenteritis during the 2006-07 season of increased norovirus activity.
    … system receives daily, de- identified patient-visit data from 10 hospital emer- gency departments (EDs) in the city of Boston. For each patient-visit, data collected includes date of visit, chief … are analyzed for statistical aberrations in the number of visits using the Early Aberration Reporting System (EARSv3). …
  • Using the Emergency Medical Text Processor to Standardize Chief Complaints in Boston's Syndromic Surveillance System

    Content Type: Abstract

    Abbreviation, misspellings, and site specific terminology may misclassify chief complaints syndromes. The Emergency Medical Text Processor (EMT-P) is system that cleans emergency department chief complaints and returns standard terms.… read more
    … system receives daily, de- identified patient-visit data from 10 hospital emer- gency departments in the … ceived every 24 hours, and the chief complaint for each visit is categorized into non-exclusive syndrome groups. … for statisti- cal aberrations in the number of daily visits using the Early Aberration Reporting System (EARSv3). …
  • 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
    … Up-to-date rates n  Decreased emergency room visits for asthma How Might We Use A Decision Support System … –  Poison Control Calls –  Health Centers – Urgent Care Visit Volume –  Sentinel sites (as needed) Notifiable …
  • 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
    … Between January 28 and March 7, 2005, there were 47,973 visits to Boston EDs reported to the BPHC syndromic … into the city neighborhoods. RESULTS Of the 47,460 visits, there were 245 visits with retired zip codes (no … by neighborhood from 21.0 to 64.0 per 1,000. The ED visit rate for Boston residents inversely correlated with …
  • Syndromic Surveillance in Support of an Urban Violence Intervention

    Content Type: Abstract

    Our objective was to adapt the city'­s syndromic surveillance system to help guide a violence intervention initiative in response to an upsurge in serious assaults and homicides in Boston.
    … summer of 2006. RESULTS In 2005, a total of 458,376 ED visits were reported by all 9 Boston acute care hospitals. Of the 458,376 visits, 4,177 were due to incidents of violence. 3,555 were … is typically received and ap- pended 2-14 days after the visit. Nevertheless, the system demonstrated a capacity to …
  • 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
    … all age groups. Between 12/1/2006 and 4/1/2007, GI_4 visits averaged 94 a day (7.3% of all visits), compared to 75 visits a day (5.9% of all visits) during the same period the …
  • A Comparison of Locally Developed Influenza-like Syndrome Definitions Using Electronic Emergency Department Data in Boston and New York City

    Content Type: Abstract

    To compare locally-developed influenza-like syndrome definitions (derived from emergency department (ED) chief complaints) when applied to data from two ISDS DiSTRIBuTE Project participants: Boston and New York City (NYC) [1].
    … daily from 10 of 10 EDs in the city of Boston (avg daily visits ~ 1300). The NYCDOHMH collects data daily from 50 of 61 (82%) EDs in NYC representing 94% of all ED visits (avg daily visits ~ 10,000). Each department uses both a broad (more …