title: Internet-based remote health self-checker symptom data as an adjuvant to a national syndromic surveillance system.
abstract: Syndromic surveillance is an innovative surveillance tool used to support national surveillance programmes. Recent advances in the use of internet-based health data have demonstrated the potential usefulness of these health data; however, there have been limited studies comparing these innovative health data to existing established syndromic surveillance systems. We conducted a retrospective observational study to assess the usefulness of a national internet-based 'symptom checker' service for use as a syndromic surveillance system. NHS Direct online data were extracted for 1 August 2012 to 1 July 2013; a time-series analysis on the symptom categories self-reported by online users was undertaken and compared to existing telehealth syndromic data. There were 3·37 million online users of the internet-based self-checker compared to 1·43 million callers to the telephone triage health service. There was a good correlation between the online and telephone triage data for a number of syndromic indicators including cold/flu, difficulty breathing and eye problems; however, online data appeared to provide additional early warning over telephone triage health data. This assessment has illustrated some potential benefit of using internet-based symptom-checker data and provides the basis for further investigating how these data can be incorporated into national syndromic surveillance programmes.
authors: Real-time Syndromic Surveillance Team,Public Health England,Birmingham,UK.
authors: A J
authors: AJ
authors: Elliot
authors: Real-time Syndromic Surveillance Team,Public Health England,Birmingham,UK.
authors: E O
authors: EO
authors: Kara
authors: Real-time Syndromic Surveillance Team,Public Health England,Birmingham,UK.
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Loveridge
authors: Real-time Syndromic Surveillance Team,Public Health England,Birmingham,UK.
authors: Z
authors: Z
authors: Bawa
authors: Real-time Syndromic Surveillance Team,Public Health England,Birmingham,UK.
authors: R A
authors: RA
authors: Morbey
authors: Digital Assessment Service,NHS Choices,Southampton,UK.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Moth
authors: Research and Clinical Audit,NHS Direct,Southampton,UK.
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Large
authors: Real-time Syndromic Surveillance Team,Public Health England,Birmingham,UK.
authors: G E
authors: GE
authors: Smith
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003141:Communicable Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D003625:Data Collection / Q000379:methods*; D062665:Epidemiological Monitoring; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013689:Telephone; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Internet; public health; syndromic surveillance; telehealth