scholarly journals Evaluating the application and utility of ESSENCE for early event detection

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Allison K. Kunerth ◽  
Elizabeth Baker ◽  
Alan Zelicoff ◽  
Michael Elliot ◽  
Kevin Syberg
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Event Detection ◽  
Syndromic Surveillance ◽  
Early Event ◽  
Surveillance Systems ◽  
User Characteristics ◽  
Syndromic Surveillance System ◽  
Local Public Health ◽  
Public Health Agencies ◽  
Surrounding Areas

ObjectiveA mixed methods study is being conducted on the statewide EarlyNotification of Community Based Epidemics (ESSENCE) systemin Missouri to identify factors that can improve the timeliness andidentification of outbreaks. This research will provide stakeholderswith guidance on how best to implement and improve ESSENCEusage statewide, and by sharing this research input can be solicitedon the utility of the applied framework as well as future implicationsfrom this body of work.IntroductionIn spite of the noted benefits of syndromic surveillance, andmore than a decade after it started gaining support, the primary usefor syndromic surveillance appears to be largely for seasonal andjurisdictional disease monitoring, event response and situationalawareness as opposed to its intended purpose of early event detection.(1-4) Research assessing the user characteristics and standards appliedat local public health agencies (LPHA’s) for syndromic surveillanceare scarce, and in national surveys epidemiologists frequently tendto utilize their own syndromic surveillance systems as opposed toa national system such as Biosense. While the National SyndromicSurveillance Program (NSSP) has addressed many operationalconcerns from stakeholders, and is in the process of providing accessto the cloud based Biosense platform-along with ESSENCE as a keytool, there is still a paucity of research that exists as to what can bedone to improve the utilization of syndromic surveillance systems forits primary purpose of early event detection.MethodsThis research proposes to evaluate the use of ESSENCE withinMissouri and the surrounding areas, to comprehensively identifyits strengths and limitations, through an assessment of the userexperience. This research will evaluate three key areas: 1) thequality of the data received by the syndromic surveillance system,2) the characteristics of the individuals and organizations utilizingthe system (end-users), 3) the influence and extent of syndromicsurveillance data on public health actions. ESSENCE data will beevaluated directly with special attention to the top three data qualityattributes across the literature, completeness, accuracy and timeliness.(5) A survey will also be administered to ESSENCE system users andpublic health leadership at LPHA’s, to gain insight into perspectives,perceptions and general practices, as well as how they interact withdata from ESSENCE.ResultsThe data for this research is primarily being collected throughoutthe fall of 2016, so the hope is to bring preliminary data to thisconference as a means to validate some of the findings, solicit inputon the proposed framework and share this research in a timely mannerfor the NSSP roll out of Biosense and ESSENCE.ConclusionsThrough a thorough evaluation, the application and utility ofESSENCE for early event detection will be better understood, alongwith the identification of factors that can be targeted in the future(and across syndromic surveillance platforms) for improvement in thetimely identification of outbreaks.

Use of syndromic surveillance data to monitor poisonings and drug overdoses in state and local public health agencies

2016 ◽  
Vol 22 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. i43-i49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Ising ◽  
Scott Proescholdbell ◽  
Katherine J Harmon ◽  
Nidhi Sachdeva ◽  
Stephen W Marshall ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Syndromic Surveillance ◽  
Surveillance Data ◽  
Local Public Health ◽  
Public Health Agencies ◽  
Health Agencies ◽  
Drug Overdoses ◽  
State And Local

Framework for the Development of Response Protocols for Public Health Syndromic Surveillance Systems: Case Studies of 8 US States

2009 ◽  
Vol 3 (S1) ◽  
pp. S29-S36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lori Uscher-Pines ◽  
Corey L. Farrell ◽  
Steven M. Babin ◽  
Jacqueline Cattani ◽  
Charlotte A. Gaydos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Surveillance System ◽  
Syndromic Surveillance ◽  
The United States ◽  
Essential Elements ◽  
System Response ◽  
Surveillance Systems ◽  
Health Departments ◽  
Public Health Response ◽  
Syndromic Surveillance System

ABSTRACTObjectives: To describe current syndromic surveillance system response protocols in health departments from 8 diverse states in the United States and to develop a framework for health departments to use as a guide in initial design and/or enhancement of response protocols.Methods: Case study design that incorporated in-depth interviews with health department staff, textual analysis of response plans, and a Delphi survey of syndromic surveillance response experts.Results: All 8 states and 30 of the 33 eligible health departments agreed to participate (91% response rate). Fewer than half (48%) of surveyed health departments had a written response protocol, and health departments reported conducting in-depth investigations on fewer than 15% of syndromic surveillance alerts. A convened panel of experts identified 32 essential elements for inclusion in public health protocols for response to syndromic surveillance system alerts.Conclusions: Because of the lack of guidance, limited resources for development of response protocols, and few examples of syndromic surveillance detecting previously unknown events of public health significance, health departments have not prioritized the development and refinement of response protocols. Systems alone, however, are not effective without an organized public health response. The framework proposed here can guide health departments in creating protocols that will be standardized, tested, and relevant given their goals with such systems. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2009;3(Suppl 1):S29–S36)

scholarly journals Development and Validation of an Automated Emergency Department-Based Syndromic Surveillance System for Use at a Mass Gathering Event (2020 Arctic Winter Games, Yukon Canada) During a Global Pandemic: Implications for Lower Resourced and Remote Settings

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Etran Bouchouar ◽  
Benjamin M. Hetman ◽  
Brendan Hanley
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Emergency Department ◽  
Surveillance System ◽  
Syndromic Surveillance ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Validation Dataset ◽  
Mass Gathering ◽  
Syndromic Surveillance System ◽  
Local Public Health ◽  
Global Pandemic

Abstract Background: Automated syndromic surveillance systems are useful tools for rapidly identifying health risks during times when routine surveillance and follow-up cannot meet the demands of the population. In Yukon, Canada, the Arctic Winter Games were scheduled in March 2020, and were expected to increase the local population beyond the capacity of local public health surveillance. An emergency department-based automated syndromic surveillance system was therefore developed and validated using local hospitalization records for use during the event. Methods: Syndromes of interest were identified in consultation with the local public health authorities. For each syndrome, case definitions were developed using published resources and expert elicitation. Natural language processing algorithms were then written to detect syndromic cases from three different fields (triage notes; chief complaint; discharge diagnosis) using Yukon emergency department case data containing information from 19,082 visits over the period of October 1, 2018 to April 30, 2019. The automatic identification of cases was then manually validated by two raters and results were used to calculate positive predicted values for each syndrome and identify improvements to the detection algorithms. Results: A total of six syndromes were originally identified for the syndromic surveillance system (e.g., Gastrointestinal, Influenza-like-Illness, Mumps, Neurological Infections, Rash, Respiratory), with an additional syndrome added to assist in detecting potential cases of COVID-19. The positive predictive value for the automated detection of each syndrome ranged from 48.8%-89.5% to 62.5%-94.1% after implementing improvements identified during validation. As expected, no records were flagged for COVID-19 from our validation dataset. However, the system was rapidly adapted into an additional surveillance tool for use in the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusions: Validation is an important step for measuring the accuracy of syndromic surveillance, and ensuring it performs adequately in a local context. Ultimately, the 2020 Arctic Winter Games were cancelled due to the risks associated with mass gatherings during the global pandemic of COVID-19 and could not therefore be tested under a mass gathering scenario. However, the results from our validation study suggest that our surveillance system may be useful for future mass gathering events and proved a timely development for integration into Yukon’s COVID-19 surveillance infrastructure.

scholarly journals Adoption of Public Health Readiness Guidelines for Meaningful Use

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eunice R. Santos ◽  
Wesley McNeely ◽  
Biru Yang ◽  
Raouf R. Arafat
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Syndromic Surveillance ◽  
Gulf Coast ◽  
Meaningful Use ◽  
Health Department ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Surveillance Systems ◽  
Syndromic Surveillance System ◽  
Related Data ◽  
Control And Prevention

ObjectiveTo describe the challenges and lessons learned for public healthand providers to successfully implement public health MeaningfulUse readiness guidelines and navigate from intent to submission ofproduction data while simultaneously upgrading surveillance systems.IntroductionThe Syndromic Surveillance Consortium of Southeast Texas(SSCSeT) consists of 13 stakeholders who represent 19 counties orjurisdictions in the Texas Gulf Coast region and receives health datafrom over 100 providers. The Houston Health Department (HHD)maintains and operates the syndromic surveillance system for the GulfCoast region since 2007. In preparation for Meaningful Use (MU) theHHD has adapted and implemented guidance and recommendationsfrom Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Office of NationalCoordinator for Health Information Technology and others. HHDsgoal is to make it possible for providers meet MU specification byfacilitating the transmission of health related data for syndromicsurveillance. The timing of the transition into MU overlaps with thechange in syndromic surveillance systems.

Developing a new syndromic surveillance system for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games

2012 ◽  
Vol 140 (12) ◽  
pp. 2152-2156 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. E. HARCOURT ◽  
J. FLETCHER ◽  
P. LOVERIDGE ◽  
A. BAINS ◽  
R. MORBEY ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
General Practice ◽  
General Practitioner ◽  
Surveillance System ◽  
Syndromic Surveillance ◽  
Surveillance Systems ◽  
Syndromic Surveillance System ◽  
National System ◽  
London 2012 ◽  
Paralympic Games

SUMMARYSyndromic surveillance is vital for monitoring public health during mass gatherings. The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games represents a major challenge to health protection services and community surveillance. In response to this challenge the Health Protection Agency has developed a new syndromic surveillance system that monitors daily general practitioner out-of-hours and unscheduled care attendances. This new national system will fill a gap identified in the existing general practice-based syndromic surveillance systems by providing surveillance capability of general practice activity during evenings/nights, over weekends and public holidays. The system will complement and supplement the existing tele-health phone line, general practitioner and emergency department syndromic surveillance systems. This new national system will contribute to improving public health reassurance, especially to meet the challenges of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

scholarly journals Sars-Cov-2 Wastewater Surveillance for Public Health Action: Connecting Perspectives From Wastewater Researchers and Public Health Officials During a Global Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jill McClary-Gutierrez ◽  
Mia Mattioli ◽  
Perrine Marcenac ◽  
Andrea Silverman ◽  
Alexandria Boehm ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Environmental Microbiology ◽  
Surveillance Data ◽  
Surveillance Systems ◽  
Public Attention ◽  
Public Health Action ◽  
Local Public Health ◽  
Public Health Agencies ◽  
Health Agencies ◽  
State And Local

Wastewater surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 has garnered extensive public attention during the COVID-19 pandemic as a proposed complement to existing disease surveillance systems. Over the past year, environmental microbiology and engineering researchers have advanced methods for detection and quantification of SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA in untreated sewage and demonstrated that the trends in wastewater are correlated with trends in cases reported days to weeks later depending on the location. At the start of the pandemic, the virus was also detected in wastewater in locations prior to known cases. Despite the promise of wastewater surveillance, for these measurements to translate into useful public health tools, it is necessary to bridge the barriers between researchers and the public health responders who will ultimately use the data. Here we describe the key uses, barriers, and applicability of SARS-CoV-2 wastewater surveillance for supporting public health decisions and actions. This perspective was formed from a multidisciplinary group of environmental microbiology, engineering, wastewater, and public health experts, as well as from opinions shared during three focus group discussions with officials from ten state and local public health agencies. The key barriers to use of wastewater surveillance data identified were: (1) As a new data source, most public health agencies are not yet comfortable interpreting wastewater data; (2) Public health agencies want to see SARS-CoV-2 wastewater data in their own communities to gain confidence in its utility; (3) New institutional knowledge and increased capacity is likely needed to sustain wastewater surveillance systems; and (4) The ethics of wastewater surveillance data collection, sharing, and use are not yet established. Overall, while wastewater surveillance to assess community infections is not a new idea, by addressing these barriers, the COVID-19 pandemic may be the initiating event that turns this emerging public health tool into a sustainable nationwide surveillance system.

Roles of Local Public Health Agencies Within the State Public Health System

2006 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 232-241 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leslie M. Beitsch ◽  
Meade Grigg ◽  
Nir Menachemi ◽  
Robert G. Brooks
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health System ◽  
Public Health System ◽  
The State ◽  
Local Public Health ◽  
Public Health Agencies ◽  
Health Agencies
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