Identifying pneumonia outbreaks of public health importance: can emergency department data assist in earlier identification?
OBJECTIVE
To retrospectively review the performance of a near real-time Emergency Department (ED) Syndromic Surveillance System operating in New South Wales for identifying pneumonia outbreaks of public health importance.


METHODS
Retrospective data was obtained from the NSW Emergency Department data collection for a rural hospital that has experienced a cluster of pneumonia diagnoses among teenage males in August 2006. ED standard reports were examined for signals in the overall count for each respiratory syndrome, and for elevated counts in individual subgroups including; age, sex and admission to hospital status.


RESULTS
Using the current thresholds, the ED syndromic surveillance system would have trigged a signal for pneumonia syndrome in children aged 5-16 years four days earlier than the notification by a paediatrician and this signal was maintained for 14 days.


CONCLUSIONS
If the ED syndromic surveillance system had been operating it could have identified the outbreak earlier than the paediatrician's notification. This may have permitted an earlier public health response.


CONCLUSIONS
By understanding the behaviour of syndromes during outbreaks of public health importance, response protocols could be developed to facilitate earlier implementation of control measures.
Hope
Kirsty
K
Newcastle Institute of Public Health, New South Wales. kirsty.hope@hnehealth.nsw.gov.au
Durrheim
David N
DN
Muscatello
David
D
Merritt
Tony
T
Zheng
Wei
W
Massey
Peter
P
Cashman
Patrick
P
Eastwood
Keith
K
D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006780:Hospitals, Rural / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009517:New South Wales / Q000453:epidemiology; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011634:Public Health; D015980:Public Health Practice; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors