GotFlu Channel: An Online Syndromic Surveillance Tool Supporting College Health Practice and Public Health Work |
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| Authors: | Valerie Jaeger MD PhD Melodie Shick-Porter RN Deborah Moore MSc Darrell Grant MD CCFP Valerie Wolfe DOHS CRM |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Niagara Public Health , Thorold, Ontario, Canada;2. Student Health Services , Brock University , St Catherines, Ontario, Canada;3. Department of Environmental Health and Safety , Brock University , St Catherines, Ontario, Canada |
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| Abstract: | Abstract Objective: Develop a tool to ease the burden of H1N1 influenza on a campus clinic by promoting self-care, generating medical notes, and identifying vulnerable students. Participants: Students at Brock University, a mid-sized urban campus; Brock's Student Health Services; and Niagara Public Health. Methods: Students accessed a controlled portal of Brock's Web site and self-identified onset/offset of influenza-like symptoms. Daily sign-in numbers were monitored and nonidentifiable aggregate data transferred to the local public health unit. Results: There was concordance among the number of college students signing in, local school absenteeism rates, and local rates of laboratory-confirmed influenza. Many visits to the campus health clinic were averted, 1,432 students used the tool. Conclusion: The online, real-time surveillance tool was effective in monitoring influenza activity on campus, providing timely health advice, decreasing unnecessary visits to the campus medical clinic, and assisting local public health in surveillance activities. |
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| Keywords: | administration clinical health community health |
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