Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32357126›Full record

SynthesisJMIR public health and surveillance2020

Cluster Detection Mechanisms for Syndromic Surveillance Systems: Systematic Review and Framework Development.

Prosper Kandabongee Yeng, Ashenafi Zebene Woldaregay, Terje Solvoll, Gunnar Hartvigsen

Open access · goldAbstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in JMIR public health and surveillance, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
9citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
1.5field-weighted citation impact, top 18% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

9 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 17 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  4. Review
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Prosper Kandabongee YengDepartment of Computer Science, University of Tromsø, The Arctic University of Norway, Gjøvik, Norway.ORCID 0000-0003-2553-5936
Ashenafi Zebene WoldaregayDepartment of Computer Science, University of Tromsø, The Arctic University of Norway, Gjøvik, Norway.ORCID 0000-0002-9464-3407
Terje SolvollNorwegian Centre for E-health Research, University Hospital, Tromsø, Norway.ORCID 0000-0001-8874-7106
Gunnar HartvigsenDepartment of Computer Science, University of Tromsø, The Arctic University of Norway, Gjøvik, Norway.ORCID 0000-0001-8771-9867
UiT The Arctic University of Norway · NONorwegian University of Science and Technology · NOUniversity Hospital of North Norway · NO

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe time lag in detecting disease outbreaks remains a threat to global health security. The advancement of technology has made health-related data and other indicator activities easily accessible for syndromic surveillance of various datasets. At the heart of disease surveillance lies the clustering algorithm, which groups data with similar characteristics (spatial, temporal, or both) to uncover significant disease outbreak. Despite these developments, there is a lack of updated reviews of trends and modelling options in cluster detection algorithms.

objectiveOur purpose was to systematically review practically implemented disease surveillance clustering algorithms relating to temporal, spatial, and spatiotemporal clustering mechanisms for their usage and performance efficacies, and to develop an efficient cluster detection mechanism framework.

methodsWe conducted a systematic review exploring Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, PubMed, IEEE Xplore, ACM Digital Library, and Scopus. Between January and March 2018, we conducted the literature search for articles published to date in English in peer-reviewed journals. The main eligibility criteria were studies that (1) examined a practically implemented syndromic surveillance system with cluster detection mechanisms, including over-the-counter medication, school and work absenteeism, and disease surveillance relating to the presymptomatic stage; and (2) focused on surveillance of infectious diseases. We identified relevant articles using the title, keywords, and abstracts as a preliminary filter with the inclusion criteria, and then conducted a full-text review of the relevant articles. We then developed a framework for cluster detection mechanisms for various syndromic surveillance systems based on the review.

resultsThe search identified a total of 5936 articles. Removal of duplicates resulted in 5839 articles. After an initial review of the titles, we excluded 4165 articles, with 1674 remaining. Reading of abstracts and keywords eliminated 1549 further records. An in-depth assessment of the remaining 125 articles resulted in a total of 27 articles for inclusion in the review. The result indicated that various clustering and aberration detection algorithms have been empirically implemented or assessed with real data and tested. Based on the findings of the review, we subsequently developed a framework to include data processing, clustering and aberration detection, visualization, and alerts and alarms.

conclusionsThe review identified various algorithms that have been practically implemented and tested. These results might foster the development of effective and efficient cluster detection mechanisms in empirical syndromic surveillance systems relating to a broad spectrum of space, time, or space-time.

Indexed as

Cluster AnalysisSyndromeAlgorithmsDisease OutbreaksHumansPopulation Surveillanceaberration detectionsentinel surveillancespace-time clustering

Identifiers

PMID32357126
PMCPMC7284413
OpenAlexW3005429949

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.