Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System with a Data Architecture Approach: a Systematic Review

Area of Science:

• Public Health Informatics
• Epidemiological Surveillance Systems

Background:

• Managing notifiable diseases is complex due to the variety of diseases and urgent reporting needs.
• A well-defined data architecture is crucial for efficient disease surveillance systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the data architecture of existing notifiable disease surveillance systems.
• To establish a foundation for developing improved surveillance systems.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature review on data architecture in notifiable disease surveillance.
• Searched English language articles using keywords, MeSH, and EMTREE terms.

Main Results:

• Identified organizations involved in data generation and monitoring.
• Databases were relational with centralized architecture for information sharing.
• Defined minimum datasets, categorized data standards, and outlined data quality control approaches (completeness, timeliness, accuracy, consistency, adequacy, validity).

Conclusions:

• Implementing data architecture principles can enhance notifiable disease surveillance.
• This approach mitigates obstacles in data generation, processing, and sharing.
• A robust data architecture is foundational for effective disease management.