BACKGROUND: Adverse health effects related to climate change are currently being seen, and these adverse outcomes are likely to increase in the future. Syndromic surveillance systems can provide near-real time information which may be used for situational awareness as communities react to these adverse events. These systems may also provide another source of retrospective information, such as triage notes or diagnostic data at time of visit (e.g. blood pressure), which can also be used for planning and response. Unfortunately, using this data source may not be straightforward. Therefore, the International Society of Disease Surveillance (ISDS) in collaboration with CSTE created and facilitated a workgroup to write a guidance document for state and local health departments to raise awareness and support the use of syndromic surveillance for climate-related illnesses, injuries, conditions, and deaths.
METHODS: The workgroup was comprised of climate and syndromic surveillance leads from state and local health departments across the U.S. Participants provided input on the best ways to develop and use syndromic surveillance systems for climate-related surveillance. Participants also provided real-world examples from their jurisdiction’s experiences.
RESULTS: This presentation will provide a technical overview of the guidance document. The document covers five specific areas: identifying a climate-related outcome(s) for surveillance, developing a case definition, incorporating environmental data, interpretation and display of results, and engaging with partners. Each section provides instructions/methodology on how to complete steps in the area and is elucidated by real-world examples. Since the majority of syndromic surveillance systems across the country incorporate emergency department data, the guidance document focuses on the use of administrative notes (e.g. chief complaints and triage notes) and diagnostic codes for case identification. However, the concepts outlined in the document, especially the later three areas, can easily be applied to other potential syndromic surveillance system components (e.g., ambulance call-outs or urgent care visits).
CONCLUSIONS: Surveillance of climate-related outcomes continues to be a growing need. This guidance document and the corresponding presentation will help jurisdictions respond to this need by leveraging a data source which can provide timely information for situational awareness of climate-related events. Further, expanding the use of the syndromic surveillance to include environmental data, either internally or viewed from another system in conjunction with health data, may allow for climate-related hazards, which cross all subject areas, to be integrated into public health practice beyond environmental health.