ArticleBMJ open2021
COVID-19 surveillance data quality issues: a national consecutive case series.
Article in BMJ open, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers.
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Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed.
- Implementation of SARS-CoV-2 Wastewater Surveillance Systems in Germany-Pilot Study in the Federal State of Thuringia.Microorganisms · 2026Article
- COVID-19 in Ghana-Using the health system framework to describe RISE-mitigation strategies for COVID-19 response and recovery in Ghana.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Completeness and timeliness of records of SARS due to COVID-19 in the SIVEP-Gripe System, Brazil 2020-2023.Revista brasileira de epidemiologia = Brazilian journal of epidemiology · 2026Article
- Empowering open data sharing for social good: a privacy-aware approach.Scientific data · 2025Article
- Article
- Evaluating Senegal's COVID-19 surveillance system for early detection and response: lessons from the Keur Massar district, March 03, 2020 to May 31, 2022.BMC public health · 2024Article
- Generative Bayesian modeling to nowcast the effective reproduction number from line list data with missing symptom onset dates.PLoS computational biology · 2024Article
- Public health surveillance perspectives from provincial COVID-19 experiences, South Africa 2021.Jamba (Potchefstroom, South Africa) · 2024Article
- Consistency as a Data Quality Measure for German Corona Consensus Items Mapped from National Pandemic Cohort Network Data Collections.Methods of information in medicine · 2023Article
- Assessment of Stakeholder Perceptions and Attitudes Toward Health Data Governance Principles in Botswana: Web-Based Survey.JMIR formative research · 2023Article
- Challenges and Opportunities for Global Genomic Surveillance Strategies in the COVID-19 Era.Viruses · 2022Review
- Modeling the Potential Impact of Missing Race and Ethnicity Data in Infectious Disease Surveillance Systems on Disparity Measures: Scenario Analysis of Different Imputation Strategies.JMIR public health and surveillance · 2022Article
- Article
- Improving morbidity information in Portugal: Evidence from data linkage of COVID-19 cases surveillance and mortality systems.International journal of medical informatics · 2022Observational
- Critical Periods, Critical Time Points and Day-of-the-Week Effects in COVID-19 Surveillance Data: An Example in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- COVID-19 outbreaks analysis in the Valencian Region of Spain in the prelude of the third wave.Frontiers in public health · 2022Article
- Article
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Authors and funding
12 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesHigh-quality data are crucial for guiding decision-making and practising evidence-based healthcare, especially if previous knowledge is lacking. Nevertheless, data quality frailties have been exposed worldwide during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Focusing on a major Portuguese epidemiological surveillance dataset, our study aims to assess COVID-19 data quality issues and suggest possible solutions. SETTINGS: On 27 April 2020, the Portuguese Directorate-General of Health (DGS) made available a dataset (DGSApril) for researchers, upon request. On 4 August, an updated dataset (DGSAugust) was also obtained.
participantsAll COVID-19-confirmed cases notified through the medical component of National System for Epidemiological Surveillance until end of June. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Data completeness and consistency.
resultsDGSAugust has not followed the data format and variables as DGSApril and a significant number of missing data and inconsistencies were found (eg, 4075 cases from the DGSApril were apparently not included in DGSAugust). Several variables also showed a low degree of completeness and/or changed their values from one dataset to another (eg, the variable 'underlying conditions' had more than half of cases showing different information between datasets). There were also significant inconsistencies between the number of cases and deaths due to COVID-19 shown in DGSAugust and by the DGS reports publicly provided daily.
conclusionsImportant quality issues of the Portuguese COVID-19 surveillance datasets were described. These issues can limit surveillance data usability to inform good decisions and perform useful research. Major improvements in surveillance datasets are therefore urgently needed-for example, simplification of data entry processes, constant monitoring of data, and increased training and awareness of healthcare providers-as low data quality may lead to a deficient pandemic control.
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