DiSTRIBuTE Project: A New Model for Influenza Surveillance
Author Information
Author(s): Olson Donald R, Paladini Marc, Lober William B, Buckeridge David L
Primary Institution: International Society for Disease Surveillance
Hypothesis
Can a collaborative electronic syndromic surveillance network improve influenza monitoring?
Conclusion
The DiSTRIBuTE project successfully demonstrated a feasible model for sharing population health data for influenza surveillance.
Supporting Evidence
- DiSTRIBuTE captured over 13% of all ED visits nationwide during the proof of concept phase.
- Morbidity trends observed in DiSTRIBuTE were highly correlated with other influenza surveillance measures.
- The project was expanded to enhance electronic ED surveillance nationwide in 2009.
Takeaway
The DiSTRIBuTE project helped different health departments share information about flu cases without sharing personal details, making it easier to track flu trends.
Methodology
The project involved a collaborative network of health departments sharing aggregate data on influenza-like illness from emergency departments.
Potential Biases
Concerns about control and use of data, particularly regarding provisional and near real-time data sharing.
Limitations
The project faced challenges with varying syndrome definitions and data quality across jurisdictions.
Participant Demographics
Participating jurisdictions included health departments from across North America.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.96
Statistical Significance
p<0.01
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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