Page 78 - Timeliness of Infectious Disease Notification & Response Systems - Corien Swaan

76 Chapter 3
timely notification systems almost halved from 11 (29%) to 6 (16%). Therefore we comply with the WHO standard.
In several articles, different notification systems were mentioned, both conventional and electronic, without clarifying which notifying organization used which system. In that case we classified the system as combined conven- tional/electronic (C/E). Therefore, with the limited number of selected articles, this review might not have shown an existing difference between conventional and electronic systems.
Lastly, we did not include completeness of notifications (percentage noti- fied diseases) or completeness of information provided in the notification. We are aware that certain aspects of notification systems facilitate completeness, for example ELR towards notification completeness, and physician reporting to completeness of information provided. We refer readers to the many articles and reviews written on this subject.
Conclusion
This systematic review shows that a minority of notification systems meet ei- ther predefined, standardized or disease specific timeframes. Systems which include laboratory reporting, either combined with reporting by physicians, are more often associated with timely notification. Electronic reporting systems are not associated with sufficient timeliness of notifications, while they need a con- siderable investment. And, even when fully implemented, they will only reduce a part of the notification chain, excluding D1-D2. Therefore, during outbreak threats, patient, doctors and laboratory testing delays need to be reduced to achieve timely detection and notification. Conventional reporting methods, like phone calls, and mobile phone texting, still can play an important role, besides alerting potential patients, physicians, and provision of appropriate laboratory test. Public health authorities should be aware of these aspects and incorporate contingency systems for enhanced notification in their preparedness plans.