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Syndromic Network Model

Syndromic surveillance data such as the incidence of influenza-like illness (ILI) is broadly monitored to provide awareness of respiratory disease epidemiology. Diverse algorithms have been employed to find geospatial trends in surveillance data, however, these methods often do not point to a route of transmission. We seek to use correlations between regions in time series data to identify patterns that point to transmission trends and routes. Toward this aim, we employ network analysis to summarize the correlation structure between regions, whereas also providing an interpretation based on infectious disease transmission. Cross-correlation has been used to quantify associations between climate variables and disease transmission. The related method of autocorrelation has been widely used to identify patterns in time series surveillance data. This research seeks to improve interpretation of time series data and shed light on the spatial–temporal transmission of respiratory infections based on cross-correlation of ILI case rates.

Objective

Time series of influenza-like illness (ILI) events are often used to depict case rates in different regions. We explore the suitability of network visualization to highlight geographic patterns in this data on the basis of cross-correlation of the time series data.

Referenced File
Submitted by teresa.hamby@d… on

An outbreak of dengue fever has occured in French Guiana since the end of November 2005 until July 2006. The dengue serotype circulating was DEN-2, responsible of more than 2 000 confirmed cases and 4 deaths. The previous surveillance system was only based on the laboratories data, and didn’t permit to assess the real situation of dengue infection within the population of French Guiana. Actually, the dengue fever being a viral infection for which no etiological treatments nor immunization were available, a lot of general practioners didn’t send their patients to laboratories but prescribed only a symptomatic treatment. A survey made on the field during February 2006 in a town of 5000 inhabitants in the West of French Guiana showed that the real situation within the population was really more important than the one evaluated by the current surveillance system (135 suspected cases for only 13 confirmed cases reported by the network of laboratories). For that reason, it was decided to put in place a syndromic surveillance system, which can permit to have a better knowledge of the situation for dengue fever. The objectives of this new system were i) to detect earlier the beginning of an outbreak ii) to have a better estimation of the impact of the outbreak within the population and iii) to permit the evaluation of the Public Health strategy set up.

 

Objective

This paper describes a new syndromic surveillance system installed in French Guiana in April 2006 during an outbreak of dengue fever.

Referenced File
Submitted by elamb on

In the Northern part of Norway, all General Practitioners (GPs) and hospitals use electronic health records (EHR). They are connected via an independent secure IP-network called the Norwegian Health Network. The newly developed “Snow Agent System” can utilize this environment by distributing processes to, and extracting epidemiological data directly from, the EHR system in a geographic area. This system may enable the GPs to discover local disease outbreaks that may have affected the current patient by providing epidemiological data from the local population. Currently, work is being done to add more functionality to the system. The overall goal for this project is to contribute to a system that will share epidemiological information between GPs and provide them with information about contagious diseases that may be useful in a clinical setting.

To achieve this, we need the GPs to accept and use the system. Nearly one half of information systems fail due to user resistance and staff interference despite the fact that they are technologically sound. One of the reasons for user resistance is lack of user involvement and bad design. The more specialized the system, the more you need user research to unsure success. With this in mind we have decided to take a User-Centred-Design approach to the project.

 

Objective

The Norwegian Centre for Telemedicine plans to establish a peer-to-peer symptom based surveillance network between all GPs, laboratories, accident and emergency units, and other relevant health providers in Northern Norway. This paper describes some initial results from a study of GPs’ user requirements, regarding what they want in return from the system.

Referenced File
Submitted by elamb on
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