title: Analysis of the pediatric health information system database as a surveillance tool for travel-associated infectious diseases.
abstract: The Pediatric Health Information System (PHIS) database collects admission, diagnostic, and treatment data among 44 children's hospitals across the United States (U.S.) and presents an opportunity for travel-associated infectious disease (TAID) surveillance. We calculated cumulative incidence rates among children admitted to 16 PHIS hospitals for dengue, malaria, and typhoid, and pooled TAID using discharge codes from 1999 to 2012. We compared incidence rates before, during, and after the 2007-2009 economic recession. Among 16 PHIS hospitals during the study period (1999-2012), incidence of dengue and pooled TAID (malaria, dengue, typhoid fever) increased significantly, and rates of malaria and typhoid trended upward. Admissions for dengue and pooled TAIDs increased significantly among 16 children's hospitals across the United States from 1999 to 2012. The PHIS database may provide a useful surveillance tool for TAIDs among children in the United States.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado, Aurora, Colorado; Department of Epidemiology, Children's Hospital Colorado, Aurora, Colorado daniel.olson@childrenscolorado.org.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Olson
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado, Aurora, Colorado; Department of Epidemiology, Children's Hospital Colorado, Aurora, Colorado.
authors.forename: Meghan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Birkholz
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado, Aurora, Colorado; Department of Epidemiology, Children's Hospital Colorado, Aurora, Colorado.
authors.forename: James T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Gaensbauer
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado, Aurora, Colorado; Department of Epidemiology, Children's Hospital Colorado, Aurora, Colorado.
authors.forename: Edwin J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Asturias
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado, Aurora, Colorado; Department of Epidemiology, Children's Hospital Colorado, Aurora, Colorado.
authors.forename: James K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Todd
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D003141:Communicable Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016208:Databases, Factual; D003715:Dengue / Q000453:epidemiology*; D063005:Health Information Systems; D006760:Hospitalization; D006776:Hospitals, Pediatric; D006801:Humans; D008288:Malaria / Q000453:epidemiology*; D018571:Sentinel Surveillance; D014195:Travel; D014435:Typhoid Fever / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology