Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38549109›Full record

ArticleBMC infectious diseases2024

COVID-19 outbreaks surveillance through text mining applied to electronic health records.

Hermano Alexandre Lima Rocha, Erik Zarko Macêdo Solha, Vasco Furtado, Francion Linhares Justino, Lucas Arêa Leão Barreto, Ronaldo Guedes da Silva, Ítalo Martins de Oliveira, David Westfall Bates, Luciano Pamplona de Góes Cavalcanti, Antônio Silva Lima Neto and 1 more

Erratum issuedAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC infectious diseases, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing 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

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Hermano Alexandre Lima Rocha *Department of Community Health, Federal University of Ceará, Street Papi Júnior, 1223, 5th. Floor, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil. hermano@ufc.br.
Erik Zarko Macêdo Solha *Postgraduate Program in Applied Informatics, University of Fortaleza, Fortaleza, CE, 60811-905, Brazil.
Vasco FurtadoPostgraduate Program in Applied Informatics, University of Fortaleza, Fortaleza, CE, 60811-905, Brazil.
Francion Linhares JustinoPostgraduate Program in Applied Informatics, University of Fortaleza, Fortaleza, CE, 60811-905, Brazil.
Lucas Arêa Leão BarretoDepartment of Community Health, Federal University of Ceará, Street Papi Júnior, 1223, 5th. Floor, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil.
Ronaldo Guedes da SilvaDepartment of Community Health, Federal University of Ceará, Street Papi Júnior, 1223, 5th. Floor, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil.
Ítalo Martins de OliveiraHealth Secretariat, Ceará State Government, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil.
David Westfall BatesHarvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Luciano Pamplona de Góes CavalcantiDepartment of Community Health, Federal University of Ceará, Street Papi Júnior, 1223, 5th. Floor, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil.
Antônio Silva Lima NetoPostgraduate Program in Applied Informatics, University of Fortaleza, Fortaleza, CE, 60811-905, Brazil.
Erneson Alves de OliveiraPostgraduate Program in Applied Informatics, University of Fortaleza, Fortaleza, CE, 60811-905, Brazil.

Funding

Fundação Cearense de Apoio ao Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico Cientista Chefe
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant disruptions to everyday life and has had social, political, and financial consequences that will persist for years. Several initiatives with intensive use of technology were quickly developed in this scenario. However, technologies that enhance epidemiological surveillance in contexts with low testing capacity and healthcare resources are scarce. Therefore, this study aims to address this gap by developing a data science model that uses routinely generated healthcare encounter records to detect possible new outbreaks early in real-time.

methodsWe defined an epidemiological indicator that is a proxy for suspected cases of COVID-19 using the health records of Emergency Care Unit (ECU) patients and text mining techniques. The open-field dataset comprises 2,760,862 medical records from nine ECUs, where each record has information about the patient's age, reported symptoms, and the time and date of admission. We also used a dataset where 1,026,804 cases of COVID-19 were officially confirmed. The records range from January 2020 to May 2022. Sample cross-correlation between two finite stochastic time series was used to evaluate the models.

resultsFor patients with age 18 years, we find time-lag () = 72 days and cross-correlation () ~ 0.82, = 25 days and ~ 0.93, and = 17 days and ~ 0.88 for the first, second, and third waves, respectively.

conclusionsIn conclusion, the developed model can aid in the early detection of signs of possible new COVID-19 outbreaks, weeks before traditional surveillance systems, thereby anticipating in initiating preventive and control actions in public health with a higher likelihood of success.

Indexed as

COVID-19AdolescentData MiningDisease OutbreaksElectronic Health RecordsHumansPandemicsCOVID-19Data ScienceDisease outbreaksEpidemiologyPublic Health Surveillance

Identifiers

PMID38549109
PMCPMC10976796

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.