SurvNet@RKI--a multistate electronic reporting system for communicable diseases.

Area of Science:

• Public Health Surveillance
• Infectious Disease Epidemiology
• Health Informatics

Background:

• Germany established the SurvNet@RKI electronic reporting system in 2001.
• This system is utilized nationwide by local and state health departments, and the Robert Koch-Institut (RKI).
• The system supports a distributed, dynamic database with extensive reporting categories and integrated data quality functions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the design, implementation, and performance of the SurvNet@RKI system.
• To evaluate its effectiveness in managing notifiable infectious disease surveillance in a complex federal structure.
• To provide recommendations for developing similar national or international electronic surveillance systems.

Main Methods:

• Description of the SurvNet@RKI software architecture (MS Access/SQL Server, Visual Basic).
• Explanation of its database design, version management, and integrated data quality algorithms.
• Overview of data flow, reporting volume (300,000 cases/year), and public data dissemination via SurvStat@RKI.

Main Results:

• SurvNet@RKI has successfully managed infectious disease surveillance across Germany's federal structure for over five years.
• The system handles a high volume of case and outbreak reports efficiently.
• Its features facilitate data quality, case definition application, and timely data publication.

Conclusions:

• The SurvNet@RKI system demonstrates the feasibility and effectiveness of electronic surveillance in a complex federal system.
• The system's architecture and features are adaptable for multinational surveillance networks.
• Experiences gained offer valuable insights for designing future electronic disease surveillance systems.