GET WELL: An Automated Surveillance System for Epidemiological Knowledge
Author Information
Author(s): Hulth Anette, Rydevik Gustaf
Primary Institution: Swedish Institute for Infectious Disease Control
Hypothesis
The information people search for on the internet reflects the disease status in society.
Conclusion
The GET WELL application provides timely epidemiological insights and complements traditional surveillance methods.
Supporting Evidence
- The GET WELL system is in regular use at the Swedish Institute for Infectious Disease Control.
- Web queries provide nearly real-time data that can be adapted to various diseases.
- Search patterns from the medical web site may convey more epidemiological information than those from Google.
Takeaway
GET WELL is a system that uses internet search data to help track diseases, giving doctors more information about health trends.
Methodology
The system analyzes anonymous web query data from a medical website and compares it with Google search data.
Potential Biases
The system may be affected by media attention influencing search behavior.
Limitations
The data from the medical web site may not capture all individuals seeking health information, and the system is currently limited to known diagnoses and symptoms.
Participant Demographics
The web site serves a population of approximately 9.3 million inhabitants in Sweden, with 55% of visitors from Stockholm County.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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