Displaying results 1 - 6 of 6
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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… (BPHC) to a cluster of emergency department (ED) visits in children detected by syndromic surveillance. … (BPHC) to a cluster of emergency department (ED) visits in children detected by syndromic surveillance. … complaint and demographic data are received for each visit; chief complaints are then grouped into eight syndrome … -
Sneezes vs. Wheezes: Syndrome Definitions for Influenza-like Illness
Content Type: Abstract
During influenza season, the Boston Public Health Commission uses syndromic surveillance to monitor Emergency Department visits for chief complaints indicative of influenza-like illness (ILI). We created three syndrome definitions for ILI to capture… read more… syndromic surveillance to monitor Emergency Department visits for chief complaints indicative of influenza-like … surveillance to monitor Emergency Department (ED) visits for chief complaints indicative of influenza-like … From October 9, 2005 to May 6, 2006 the number of total visits for each ILI syndrome group was recorded daily and … -
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). … -
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 … -
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 … -
Do Women Really Complain More than Men? Looking at Gastrointestinal Chief Complaints in Boston
Content Type: Abstract
The purpose of syndromic surveillance is the early identification of disease outbreaks. Classification of chief complaints into syndromes and the type of statistics used for aberration detection can affect outbreak detection sensitivity and… read more… and back pain. [1] METHODS We randomly selected 50,000 visits from 9 Boston adult emergency departments (ED) … Black, 30% White and 67% age 20-49 years. Of the 44,877 visits 4,483 chief complaints were classified as GISG (10%). … and specificity for GIC. (p=0.0032) The proportion of visits among women with GIC, Gi1, and Gi2 was 7.7%, 2.3%, …

