title: Establishing a nationwide emergency department-based syndromic surveillance system for better public health responses in Taiwan.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  With international concern over emerging infectious diseases (EID) and bioterrorist attacks, public health is being required to have early outbreak detection systems. A disease surveillance team was organized to establish a hospital emergency department-based syndromic surveillance system (ED-SSS) capable of automatically transmitting patient data electronically from the hospitals responsible for emergency care throughout the country to the Centers for Disease Control in Taiwan (Taiwan-CDC) starting March, 2004. This report describes the challenges and steps involved in developing ED-SSS and the timely information it provides to improve in public health decision-making.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between June 2003 and March 2004, after comparing various surveillance systems used around the world and consulting with ED physicians, pediatricians and internal medicine physicians involved in infectious disease control, the Syndromic Surveillance Research Team in Taiwan worked with the Real-time Outbreak and Disease Surveillance (RODS) Laboratory at the University of Pittsburgh to create Taiwan's ED-SSS. The system was evaluated by analyzing daily electronic ED data received in real-time from the 189 hospitals participating in this system between April 1, 2004 and March 31, 2005.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Taiwan's ED-SSS identified winter and summer spikes in two syndrome groups: influenza-like illnesses and respiratory syndrome illnesses, while total numbers of ED visits were significantly higher on weekends, national holidays and the days of Chinese lunar new year than weekdays (p < 0.001). It also identified increases in the upper, lower, and total gastrointestinal (GI) syndrome groups starting in November 2004 and two clear spikes in enterovirus-like infections coinciding with the two school semesters. Using ED-SSS for surveillance of influenza-like illnesses and enteroviruses-related infections has improved Taiwan's pandemic flu preparedness and disease control capabilities.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Taiwan's ED-SSS represents the first nationwide real-time syndromic surveillance system ever established in Asia. The experiences reported herein can encourage other countries to develop their own surveillance systems. The system can be adapted to other cultural and language environments for better global surveillance of infectious diseases and international collaboration.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei City, Taiwan. wcsg@msn.com
authors.forename: Tsung-Shu Joseph
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Fuh-Yuan Frank
authors.initials: FY
authors.lastname: Shih
authors.forename: Muh-Yong
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Yen
authors.forename: Jiunn-Shyan Julian
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Shiou-Wen
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Kevin Chi-Ming
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Chao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hsiung
authors.forename: Jr-How
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Chou
authors.forename: Yu-Tseng
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.forename: Hang
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Chan-Hsien
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Chiu
authors.forename: Fu-Chiang Richard
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Tsui
authors.forename: Michael M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.forename: Ih-Jen
authors.initials: IJ
authors.lastname: Su
authors.forename: Chwan-Chuen
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: King
mesh_terms: D021821:Communicable Diseases, Emerging / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D003199:Computer Systems; D003659:Decision Making, Organizational; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000145:classification / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004769:Enterovirus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D005843:Geography; D006801:Humans; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D038801:International Classification of Diseases; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods*; D011635:Public Health Administration / Q000379:methods*; D040442:Public Health Informatics; D013577:Syndrome; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology; D014218:Triage