Open AccessInfluenza‐like illness in Australia: A comparison of general practice surveillance system with electronic medical records
Author(s) -
Bernardo Carla De Oliveira,
GonzálezChica David Alejandro,
Chilver Monique,
Stocks Nigel
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
influenza and other respiratory viruses
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.743
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1750-2659
pISSN - 1750-2640
DOI - 10.1111/irv.12774
Subject(s) - influenza like illness , medical record , outbreak , medicine , infectious disease (medical specialty) , public health , health records , electronic medical record , public health surveillance , disease surveillance , medical emergency , disease , virology , health care , pathology , virus , economics , economic growth
Surveillance systems are fundamental to detect infectious disease outbreaks and guide public health responses. We compared influenza‐like illness (ILI) rates for 2015‐2017 using data from the Australian Sentinel Practice Research Network (ASPREN) and electronic medical records from 550 general practices across Australia (MedicineInsight). There was a high correlation between both sources ( r = .84‐.95) and a consistent higher ILI rate in 2017. Both sources also showed higher ILI rates among women and patients aged 20‐49 years. The use of routinely collected electronic medical records like those in MedicineInsight could be used to complement active influenza surveillance systems in Australia.