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Syndromic Surveillance Implementation During Disaster Events

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 November 2023

Eyad F. Alkhattabi Open the ORCID record for Eyad F. Alkhattabi [Opens in a new window] ,
Alexander Hart ,
Fadi Issa ,
Attila Hertelendy Open the ORCID record for Attila Hertelendy [Opens in a new window] ,
Yasir Alrusyani ,
Amalia Voskanyan  and
Gregory Ciottone
Eyad F. Alkhattabi*
Affiliation:
BIDMC Disaster Medicine Fellowship, Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA Ministry of Interior, Saudi Arabia Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
Alexander Hart
Affiliation:
BIDMC Disaster Medicine Fellowship, Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA Department of Emergency Medicine, Hartford Hospital, Hartford, CT, USA University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT, USA
Fadi Issa
Affiliation:
BIDMC Disaster Medicine Fellowship, Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
Attila Hertelendy
Affiliation:
BIDMC Disaster Medicine Fellowship, Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA Department of Information Systems and Business Analytics, College of Business, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA
Yasir Alrusyani
Affiliation:
BIDMC Disaster Medicine Fellowship, Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA Ministry of Health, Saudi Arabia
Amalia Voskanyan
Affiliation:
BIDMC Disaster Medicine Fellowship, Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA
Gregory Ciottone
Affiliation:
BIDMC Disaster Medicine Fellowship, Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
*
Corresponding author: Eyad F. Alkhattabi; Email: alkhattabieyad@gmail.com.
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Abstract

Introduction:

Disease surveillance is an integral part of public health. These systems monitor disease trends and detect outbreaks, whereas they should be evaluated for efficacy. The United States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention publish Guidelines for Evaluating Surveillance Systems to encourage efficient and effective use of public health surveillance that are accepted worldwide.

Objective:

This study reviews syndromic surveillance during natural and man-made disasters internationally. It aims to (1) review the performance of syndromic surveillance via pre-specified attributes during disaster and to (2) understand its strengths and limitations.

Methods:

PubMed was systematically searched for the articles assessing syndromic surveillance during a disaster. A narrative review was carried out based on those articles. Updated Guidelines for Evaluating Public Health Surveillance Systems were used to review performance of systems.

Results:

5,059 studies from PubMed were evaluated, and 16 met inclusion criteria. The majority of these studies considered the implementation of syndromic surveillance useable during disaster events. Studies described systems giving relevant and timely information. Simplicity and timeliness were the most highlighted attributes.

Conclusion:

Syndromic surveillance is simple, flexible, useful and usable during a disaster. Timely data can be obtained, but the quality of this type of data is sensitive to incomplete and erroneous reporting; because of this, a standardized approach is necessary to optimize these systems.

Keywords

syndromic surveillancedisasterpublic health emergencyearly warning
Type
Research Letters
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 17 , 2023 , e542
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc

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References

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