A J Elliot1, H E Hughes1, T C Hughes2, T E Locker3, R Brown4, C Sarran5, Y Clewlow5, V Murray6, A Bone6, M Catchpole7, B McCloskey8, G E Smith1. 1. Real-time Syndromic Surveillance Team, Public Health England, Birmingham, UK. 2. Emergency Department, Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust, Oxford, UK The College of Emergency Medicine, London, UK. 3. The College of Emergency Medicine, London, UK Emergency Department, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Sheffield, UK. 4. Emergency Department, St Mary's Hospital, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, UK. 5. Met Office, Exeter, UK. 6. Extreme Events and Health Protection, Public Health England, London, UK. 7. Centre for Infectious Disease Surveillance and Control, Public Health England, London, UK. 8. Department of Global Health, Public Health England, London, UK.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: This study illustrates the potential of using emergency department attendance data, routinely accessed as part of a national syndromic surveillance system, to monitor the impact of thunderstorm asthma. METHODS: The Emergency Department Syndromic Surveillance System (EDSSS) routinely monitors anonymised attendance data on a daily basis across a sentinel network of 35 emergency departments. Attendance data for asthma, wheeze and difficulty breathing are analysed on a daily basis. RESULTS: A statistically significant spike in asthma attendances in two EDSSS emergency departments in London was detected on 23 July 2013, coinciding with a series of large violent thunderstorms across southern England. There was also an increase in the reported severity of these attendances. CONCLUSIONS: This preliminary report illustrates the potential of the EDSSS to monitor the impact of thunderstorms on emergency department asthma attendances. Further work will focus on how this system can be used to quantify the impact on emergency departments, thus potentially improving resource planning and also adding to the thunderstorm asthma evidence-base. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.
BACKGROUND: This study illustrates the potential of using emergency department attendance data, routinely accessed as part of a national syndromic surveillance system, to monitor the impact of thunderstorm asthma. METHODS: The Emergency Department Syndromic Surveillance System (EDSSS) routinely monitors anonymised attendance data on a daily basis across a sentinel network of 35 emergency departments. Attendance data for asthma, wheeze and difficulty breathing are analysed on a daily basis. RESULTS: A statistically significant spike in asthma attendances in two EDSSS emergency departments in London was detected on 23 July 2013, coinciding with a series of large violent thunderstorms across southern England. There was also an increase in the reported severity of these attendances. CONCLUSIONS: This preliminary report illustrates the potential of the EDSSS to monitor the impact of thunderstorms on emergency department asthma attendances. Further work will focus on how this system can be used to quantify the impact on emergency departments, thus potentially improving resource planning and also adding to the thunderstorm asthma evidence-base. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.
Entities:
Keywords:
asthma; emergency department; epidemiology; major incidents, epidemiology; research, epidemiology
Authors: Emily Andrew; Ziad Nehme; Stephen Bernard; Michael J Abramson; Ed Newbigin; Ben Piper; Justin Dunlop; Paul Holman; Karen Smith Journal: BMJ Date: 2017-12-13
Authors: Rachel N McInnes; Deborah Hemming; Peter Burgess; Donna Lyndsay; Nicholas J Osborne; Carsten Ambelas Skjøth; Sam Thomas; Sotiris Vardoulakis Journal: Sci Total Environ Date: 2017-05-05 Impact factor: 7.963
Authors: Helen E Hughes; Roger Morbey; Anne Fouillet; Céline Caserio-Schönemann; Alec Dobney; Thomas C Hughes; Gillian E Smith; Alex J Elliot Journal: BMJ Open Date: 2018-04-19 Impact factor: 2.692
Authors: Alex J Elliot; Christopher D Bennett; Helen E Hughes; Roger A Morbey; Daniel Todkill; Ross Thompson; Owen Landeg; Emer OConnell; Mark Seltzer; Will Lang; Obaghe Edeghere; Isabel Oliver Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2021-11-24 Impact factor: 3.390
Authors: Simon Packer; Paul Loveridge; Ana Soriano; Roger Morbey; Dan Todkill; Ross Thompson; Tracy Rayment-Bishop; Cathryn James; Hilary Pillin; Gillian Smith; Alex J Elliot Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2022-03-24 Impact factor: 3.390