Electronic reporting of diagnostic laboratory test results from all healthcare sectors is a cornerstone of national preparedness and control of COVID-19 in Denmark

Kristian Schønning, Ram Benny Dessau, Thøger Gorm Jensen, Nicklas Myrthue Thorsen, Camilla Wiuff, Lene Nielsen, Sophie Gubbels, Matt Denwood, Uffe Høgsbro Thygesen, Lasse Engbo Christensen, Camilla Holten Møller, Jens Kjølseth Møller, Svend Ellermann-Eriksen, Christian Østergaard, Janni Uyen Hoa Lam, Nour Abushalleeh, Marianna Meaidi, Stefan Olsen, Kåre Mølbak, Marianne Voldstedlund*

*Corresponding author af dette arbejde

Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskriftTidsskriftartikelForskningpeer review

45 Citationer (Scopus)

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an unprecedented demand for real-time surveillance data in order to inform critical decision makers regarding the management of the pandemic. The aim of this review was to describe how the Danish national microbiology database, MiBa, served as a cornerstone for providing data to the real-time surveillance system by linkage to other nationwide health registries. The surveillance system was established on an existing IT health infrastructure and a close network between clinical microbiologists, information technology experts, and public health officials. In 2020, testing capacity for SARS-CoV-2 was ramped up from none to over 10,000 weekly PCR tests per 100,000 population. The crude incidence data mirrored this increase in testing. Real-time access to denominator data and patient registries enabled adjustments for fluctuations testing activity, providing robust data on crude SARS-CoV-2 incidence during the changing diagnostic and management strategies. The use of the same data for different purposes, for example, final laboratory reports, information to the public, contact tracing, public health, and science, has been a critical asset for the pandemic response. It has also raised issues concerning data protection and critical capacity of the underlying technical systems and key resources. However, even with these limitations, the setup has enabled decision makers to adopt timely interventions. The experiences from COVID-19 may motivate a transformation from traditional indicator-based public health surveillance to an all-encompassing information system based on access to a comprehensive set of data sources, including diagnostic and reference microbiology.

OriginalsprogEngelsk
TidsskriftAPMIS
Vol/bind129
Udgave nummer7
Sider (fra-til)438-451
ISSN0903-4641
DOI
StatusUdgivet - 2021

Bibliografisk note

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© 2021 APMIS. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd

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