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Influenza-like illness in Australia: A comparison of general practice surveillance system with electronic medical records.

Carla De Oliveira BernardoDavid Alejandro González-ChicaMonique ChilverNigel P Stocks
Published in: Influenza and other respiratory viruses (2020)
Surveillance systems are fundamental to detect infectious disease outbreaks and guide public health responses. We compared influenza-like illness (ILI) rates for 2015-2017 using data from the Australian Sentinel Practice Research Network (ASPREN) and electronic medical records from 550 general practices across Australia (MedicineInsight). There was a high correlation between both sources (r = .84-.95) and a consistent higher ILI rate in 2017. Both sources also showed higher ILI rates among women and patients aged 20-49 years. The use of routinely collected electronic medical records like those in MedicineInsight could be used to complement active influenza surveillance systems in Australia.
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