title: Challenges faced by hospital healthcare workers in using a syndrome-based surveillance system during the 2003 outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome in Taiwan.
abstract: Because the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak in Taiwan in 2003 was worsened by hospital infections, we analyzed 229 questionnaires (84.8% of 270 sent) completed by surveyed healthcare workers who cared for patients with SARS in 3 types of hospitals, to identify surveillance problems. Atypical clinical presentation was the most often reported problem, regardless of hospital type, which strongly indicates that more timely syndromic surveillance was needed.
authors.affiliation: College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, No. 17 Xu Zhou Road, Taipei City, Taiwan 100, China.
authors.forename: Fuh-Yuan
authors.initials: FY
authors.lastname: Shih
authors.forename: Muh-Yong
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Yen
authors.forename: Jiunn-Shyan
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Fang-Kuei
authors.initials: FK
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Lih-Wen
authors.initials: LW
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Mei-Shang
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.forename: Chao A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Hsiung
authors.forename: Ih-Jen
authors.initials: IJ
authors.lastname: Su
authors.forename: Melissa A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Marx
authors.forename: Howard
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sobel
authors.forename: Chwan-Chuen
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: King
mesh_terms: D003428:Cross Infection / Q000517:prevention & control; D018563:Disease Notification; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D017758:Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional / Q000517:prevention & control; D008505:Medical Staff, Hospital; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital; D010564:Personnel, Hospital; D045473:Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus; D018571:Sentinel Surveillance; D045169:Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology