Open AccessProof of concept for a syndromic surveillance system based on routine ambulance records in the South West of England, for the influenza season 2016/2017
Author(s) -
Thilo Reich,
Marcin Budka
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
british paramedic journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 1478-4726
DOI - 10.29045/14784726.2019.09.4.2.22
Subject(s) - outbreak , ambulance service , medical emergency , medicine , population , medical record , emergency medicine , geography , environmental health , virology , surgery
The introduction of electronic patient records in the ambulance service provides new opportunities to monitor the population. Approximately 36% of patients presenting to English ambulance services are discharged at scene. Ambulance records are therefore an ideal data source for syndromic early event detection systems to monitor infectious disease in the pre-hospital population. It has been previously found that tympanic temperature records can be used to detect influenza outbreaks in emergency departments. This study aimed to determine whether routine tympanic temperature readings collected by ambulance crews can be used to detect seasonal influenza.