Skip Navigation LinksSkip Navigation Links
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Safer Healthier People
Blue White
Blue White
bottom curve
CDC Home Search Health Topics A-Z spacer spacer
spacer
Blue curve MMWR spacer
spacer
spacer

Persons using assistive technology might not be able to fully access information in this file. For assistance, please send e-mail to: mmwrq@cdc.gov. Type 508 Accommodation and the title of the report in the subject line of e-mail.

From Implementation to Automation --- A Step-by-Step Approach to Developing Syndromic Surveillance Systems from a Public Health Perspective

Brian M. Lawson,1 E. Fitzhugh,1 S. Hall,1 L. Hutwagner,2 G. Seeman2
1
Knox County Health Department, Knoxville, Tennessee; 2National Center for Infectious Diseases, CDC

Corresponding author: Brian M. Lawson, Knox County Health Department, 140 Dameron Ave., Knoxville, TN 37917. Telephone: 865-215-5095; Fax: 865-584-4604; E-mail: brian.lawson@knoxcounty.org.

Abstract

Introduction: Implementing new surveillance for biologic terrorism is becoming an essential function of local public health departments. Although syndromic surveillance systems can be implemented by multiple methods (including commercially available products), one model might be particularly well-suited to public health. CDC's Early Aberration Reporting System (EARS) is a syndromic surveillance system that uses aberration-detection models to identify deviations in current data when compared with a historic mean. The Knox County Tennessee Health Department (KCHD) is using a 7-day seamless surveillance system based on the EARS program that incorporates multiple data sources, automated data transfer via file transfer protocol (FTP), scheduled batch analysis, and remote access to surveillance data.

Objectives: KCHD developed a 10-step process for designing a syndromic surveillance system, from implementation to automation.

Methods: The steps are as follows:

  1. Contact CDC staff to discuss acquisition of EARS programs.
  2. Assess infrastructure to implement EARS.
  3. Engage stakeholders.
  4. Identify staff and assign specific tasks.
  5. Select syndromes or symptoms to monitor.
  6. Establish daily data exchange.
  7. Develop automation routines for data transfer via FTP and for importing data into SAS.
  8. Schedule EARS analysis programs as a batch job.
  9. Establish a review and response protocol.
  10. Develop plans for long-term collaboration and system expansion, including evaluation.

Results: By following these 10 steps, KCHD has made substantial progress toward implementing a multifaceted, seamless, 7-day syndromic surveillance system.

Conclusions: Public health departments can use these 10 steps as a framework for developing local syndromic surveillance systems.

Use of trade names and commercial sources is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.


References to non-CDC sites on the Internet are provided as a service to MMWR readers and do not constitute or imply endorsement of these organizations or their programs by CDC or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. CDC is not responsible for the content of pages found at these sites. URL addresses listed in MMWR were current as of the date of publication.

Disclaimer   All MMWR HTML versions of articles are electronic conversions from ASCII text into HTML. This conversion may have resulted in character translation or format errors in the HTML version. Users should not rely on this HTML document, but are referred to the electronic PDF version and/or the original MMWR paper copy for the official text, figures, and tables. An original paper copy of this issue can be obtained from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO), Washington, DC 20402-9371; telephone: (202) 512-1800. Contact GPO for current prices.

**Questions or messages regarding errors in formatting should be addressed to mmwrq@cdc.gov.

Page converted: 9/14/2004

HOME  |  ABOUT MMWR  |  MMWR SEARCH  |  DOWNLOADS  |  RSSCONTACT
POLICY  |  DISCLAIMER  |  ACCESSIBILITY

Safer, Healthier People

Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
1600 Clifton Rd, MailStop E-90, Atlanta, GA 30333, U.S.A

USA.GovDHHS

Department of Health
and Human Services

This page last reviewed 9/14/2004