A Review of Evaluations of Electronic Event-based Biosurveillance Systems

Authors

  • Kimberly Gajewski Emory University, Atlanta, GA
  • Jean-Paul Chretien Division of Integrated Biosurveillance, Silver Spring, MD
  • Amy Peterson Division of Integrated Biosurveillance, Silver Spring, MD
  • Julie Pavlin Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center, Silver Spring, MD
  • Rohit Chitale Division of Integrated Biosurveillance, Silver Spring, MD

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5210/ojphi.v5i1.4444

Abstract

Electronic event-based biosurveillance systems (EEBS's) are an increasingly important source of epidemiologic intelligence. We assessed 17 published evaluations on 10 EEBS's using 17 key variables from CDC guidelines for surveillance system evaluations. The median number of key variables assessed per EEBS was 6 (range, 3-12). Very few evaluations were quantitative, and no evaluations examined system usefulness by identifying specific public health decisions, actions, or outcomes resulting from early event detection. Future EEBS evaluations should quantitatively examine these critical indicators of utility, assess novel aspects of EEBS's, and consider the effects of combining EEBS's into super systems.

Author Biography

Kimberly Gajewski, Emory University, Atlanta, GA

Kim Gajewski is currently obtaining an MPH in Epidemiology at the Emory University Rollins School of Public Health. She is presently working for the Centers for Disease Control International Emergency Preparedness Team and has also interned with the Department of Defense Division of Integrated Biosurveillance. Ms. Gajewski graduated from Duke University with degrees in Psychology in Biology, and is a Professional Continuity of Operations Practitioner.

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Published

2013-03-23

How to Cite

Gajewski, K., Chretien, J.-P., Peterson, A., Pavlin, J., & Chitale, R. (2013). A Review of Evaluations of Electronic Event-based Biosurveillance Systems. Online Journal of Public Health Informatics, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.5210/ojphi.v5i1.4444

Issue

Section

Poster Presentations