Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35082977›Full record

ArticleOnline journal of public health informatics2021

Evaluating multi-purpose syndromic surveillance systems - a complex problem.

Roger Morbey, Gillian Smith, Isabel Oliver, Obaghe Edeghere, Iain Lake, Richard Pebody, Dan Todkill, Noel McCarthy, Alex J Elliot

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Online journal of public health informatics, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Nurse, Give Me the News! Understanding Support for and Opposition to a COVID-19 Health Screening System.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023
    Article
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

9 authors.

Roger MorbeyReal-time Syndromic Surveillance Team, Field Service, National Infection Service, Public Health England, Birmingham B2 4BH, United Kingdom.
Gillian SmithReal-time Syndromic Surveillance Team, Field Service, National Infection Service, Public Health England, Birmingham B2 4BH, United Kingdom.
Isabel OliverField Service, National Infection Service, Public Health England, Bristol BS1 6EH, United Kingdom.
Obaghe EdeghereField Epidemiology West Midlands, Field Service, National Infection Service, Public Health England, Birmingham B2 4BH, United Kingdom.
Iain LakeSchool of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, United Kingdom.
Richard PebodyInfluenza and Other Respiratory Virus Section, Immunisation and Countermeasures Division, National Infection Service, Public Health England, London NW9 5EQ, United Kingdom.
Dan TodkillField Epidemiology West Midlands, Field Service, National Infection Service, Public Health England, Birmingham B2 4BH, United Kingdom.
Noel McCarthyWarwick Medical School, Division of Health Sciences, University of Warwick, CV4 7AL, United Kingdom.
Alex J ElliotReal-time Syndromic Surveillance Team, Field Service, National Infection Service, Public Health England, Birmingham B2 4BH, United Kingdom.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Surveillance systems need to be evaluated to understand what the system can or cannot detect. The measures commonly used to quantify detection capabilities are sensitivity, positive predictive value and timeliness. However, the practical application of these measures to multi-purpose syndromic surveillance services is complex. Specifically, it is very difficult to link definitive lists of what the service is intended to detect and what was detected. First, we discuss issues arising from a multi-purpose system, which is designed to detect a wide range of health threats, and where individual indicators, e.g. 'fever', are also multi-purpose. Secondly, we discuss different methods of defining what can be detected, including historical events and simulations. Finally, we consider the additional complexity of evaluating a service which incorporates human decision-making alongside an automated detection algorithm. Understanding the complexities involved in evaluating multi-purpose systems helps design appropriate methods to describe their detection capabilities.

Indexed as

Epidemiologyoutbreaks,Public Healthsurveillance

Identifiers

PMID35082977
PMCPMC8765799

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
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.