What data are collected by the HESS system and why are they used for public health surveillance?
Current public health thought indicates syndromic surveillance analysis of chief complaints can be useful tool in the detection of an outbreak, at least in as much to heighten the awareness of public health officials and possibly warrant a further public health investigation (see CDC reports on syndromic surveillance). As a means of achieving this goal, incoming HESS data is segregated into seven surveillance-related syndromes based on the chief complaints of the individual in the ER. This data is analyzed and monitored daily by DHSS using analysis software developed by Johns Hopkins University (ESSENCE) for aberrations in reported syndromic frequencies.
