STUDIES TO INFORM SURVEILLANCE STRATEGIES FOR RESPIRATORY INFECTIONS IN THE HOSPITAL SETTING IN SINGAPORE

Abstract

My PhD addresses the issues when establishing an appropriate surveillance strategy for viral respiratory infections in the healthcare setting. I evaluated the usefulness of the current staff sickness absenteeism surveillance system in detecting clusters of acute respiratory illness in a hospital and identified several research gaps with the current system. Other studies then addressed how we could potentially improve the system in terms of potential target populations within the healthcare system, performance of different case definitions for surveillance, and the potential yield of various laboratory assays when conducting surveillance using different case definitions. When unknown respiratory pathogens emerge, healthcare facilities are a frontline in the treatment of diseases, and must be prepared for the challenge of providing care for patients of unknown etiology and modes of transmission. My studies contribute to informing strategies for the early detection of the presence and transmission of key viral respiratory agents in healthcare settings.