Developing a Data Integrated COVID-19 Tracking System for Decision-Making and Public Use

A near real-time electronic health record-based COVID-19 surveillance system: An experience from a developing country

CONTEXT

Access to real-time data that provide accurate and timely information about the status and extent of disease spread could assist management of the COVID-19 pandemic and inform decision-making.

AIM

To demonstrate our experience with regard to implementation of technical and architectural infrastructure for a near real-time electronic health record-based surveillance system for COVID-19 in Iran.

METHOD

This COVID-19 surveillance system was developed from hospital information and electronic health record (EHR) systems available in the study hospitals in conjunction with a set of open-source solutions; and designed to integrate data from multiple resources to provide near real-time access to COVID-19 patients' data, as well as a pool of health data for analytical and decision-making purposes.

OUTCOMES

Using this surveillance system, we were able to monitor confirmed and suspected cases of COVID-19 in our population and to automatically notify stakeholders. Based on aggregated data collected, this surveillance system was able to facilitate many activities, such as resource allocation for hospitals, including managing bed allocations, providing and distributing equipment and funding, and setting up isolation centres.

CONCLUSION

Electronic health record systems and an integrated data analytics infrastructure are effective tools to enable policymakers to make better decisions, and for epidemiologists to conduct improved analyses regarding COVID-19.

IMPLICATIONS

Improved quality of clinical coding for better case finding, improved quality of health information in data sources, data-sharing agreements, and increased EHR coverage in the population can empower EHR-based COVID-19 surveillance systems.

A qualitative descriptive study of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on staff in a Canadian intensive care unit

PURPOSE

We sought to explore the lived experiences of a professionally diverse sample of healthcare workers (HCWs) in a single intensive care unit (ICU) serving a large and generalizable Canadian population. We aimed to understand how working during the COVID-19 pandemic affected their professional and personal lives, including their perceptions of institutional support, to inform interventions to ameliorate impacts of the COVID-19 and future pandemics.

METHODS

In this qualitative descriptive study, 23 ICU HCWs, identified using convenience purposive sampling, took part in individual semistructured interviews between July and November 2020, shortly after the first wave of the pandemic in Ontario. We used inductive thematic analysis to identify major themes.

RESULTS

We identified five major themes related to the COVID-19 pandemic: 1) communication and informational needs (e.g., challenges communicating policy changes); 2) adjusting to restricted visitation (e.g., spending less time interacting with patients); 3) staffing and workplace supports (e.g., importance of positive team dynamics); 4) permeability of professional and personal lives (e.g., balancing shift work and childcare); and 5) a dynamic COVID-19 landscape (e.g., coping with constant change). The COVID-19 pandemic contributed to HCWs in the ICU experiencing varied negative repercussions on their work environment, including staffing and institutional support, which carried into their personal lives.

CONCLUSION

Healthcare workers in the ICU perceived that the COVID-19 pandemic had negative repercussions on their work environment, including staffing and institutional support, as well as their professional and personal lives. Understanding both the negative and positive experiences of all ICU HCWs working during the COVID-19 pandemic is critical to future pandemic preparedness. Their perspectives will help to inform the development of mental health and wellbeing interventions to support staff during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.