Electronic Health Record-Based Algorithm for Monitoring Respiratory Virus-Like Illness.

View Abstract

Viral respiratory illness surveillance has traditionally focused on single pathogens (e.g., influenza) and required fever to identify influenza-like illness (ILI). We developed an automated system applying both laboratory test and syndrome criteria to electronic health records from 3 practice groups in Massachusetts, USA, to monitor trends in respiratory viral-like illness (RAVIOLI) across multiple pathogens. We identified RAVIOLI syndrome using diagnosis codes associated with respiratory viral testing or positive respiratory viral assays or fever. After retrospectively applying RAVIOLI criteria to electronic health records, we observed annual winter peaks during 2015-2019, predominantly caused by influenza, followed by cyclic peaks corresponding to SARS-CoV-2 surges during 2020-2024, spikes in RSV in mid-2021 and late 2022, and recrudescent influenza in late 2022 and 2023. RAVIOLI rates were higher and fluctuations more pronounced compared with traditional ILI surveillance. RAVIOLI broadens the scope, granularity, sensitivity, and specificity of respiratory viral illness surveillance compared with traditional ILI surveillance.

Abbreviation
Emerg Infect Dis
Publication Date
2024-05-25
Volume
30
Issue
6
Page Numbers
1096-1103
Pubmed ID
38781684
Medium
Print
Full Title
Electronic Health Record-Based Algorithm for Monitoring Respiratory Virus-Like Illness.
Authors
Cocoros NM, Eberhardt K, Nguyen VT, Brown CM, DeMaria A, Madoff LC, Randall LM, Klompas M