Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 17, 2025
Author Spotlight: Advancing Rapid Detection of Respiratory Pathogens Using Microfluidic Chip
Published on: March 29, 2024
An algorithm for identifying visits due to pediatric lower acute respiratory infections in electronic clinical
Paula González Pannia1, Manuel Rodriguez Tablado2, Santiago Esteban3
1Médica pediatra. pau.gp17@gmail.com.
Insights
This study developed an algorithm to accurately identify childhood acute lower respiratory infections (ALRI) in electronic health records. The tool precisely detects ALRI cases in outpatient settings, aiding public health research and policy.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Public Health
- Health Informatics
Background:
- Accurate identification of childhood acute lower respiratory infections (ALRI) is challenging due to terminology ambiguities in outpatient electronic clinical records (ECR).
- Improved ALRI detection is crucial for assessing health impacts and developing effective prevention policies.
- Electronic health records offer a valuable data source for developing such identification tools.
Purpose of the Study:
- To design and validate an algorithm for identifying children with ALRI using ECR data.
- To enhance the accuracy of ALRI case ascertainment in pediatric outpatient settings.
- To support public health initiatives through precise data on childhood respiratory illnesses.
Main Methods:
- An algorithm based on predefined rules was developed to search for terms indicating ALRI in ECR data.
- The algorithm was initially designed using a random sample of 1000 outpatient visits for patients under 2 years old.
- Algorithm refinement and performance validation were conducted on separate datasets, including a final test on 800 queries from 2018.
Main Results:
- The developed algorithm demonstrated high performance in identifying ALRI cases.
- Sensitivity was 88.24%, specificity 97.5%, positive predictive value (PPV) 86.07%, and negative predictive value (NPV) 97.93% in the validation set.
- These metrics indicate a reliable tool for ALRI detection in the target population.
Conclusions:
- The developed search algorithm effectively identifies outpatient visits related to ALRI in children under 2 years old.
- The tool offers acceptable precision for utilizing ECR data in pediatric respiratory health surveillance.
- This method facilitates more accurate data collection for research and policy development concerning childhood respiratory infections.
Background:
Due to ambiguities in terminology, acute lower respiratory infections (ALRI) in childhood are frequently not properly recorded, especially during outpatient visits. A tool that accurately identifies them, would assess the impact on respiratory health of massive harms, and design policies to prevent or mitigate their effects. We aimed to design an algorithm that allows identifying children with ALRI based on data from the electronic clinical record (ECR) of the Government of the City of Buenos Aires (GCBA).
Methods:
From the ECR-GCBA database, we randomly selected 1000 outpatient visits of patients aged under 2 years. Terms showing that the visit was due to LARI were searched using an algorithm based on hard rules. Another dataset including 800 visits was used to adjust the algorithm and, finally, its performance was tested in a third dataset of 800 queries corresponding to the entire year 2018.
Results:
In the validation set, our tool identified LARI with sensitivity 88.24%, specificity 97.5%, PPV 86.07% and NPV 97.93%.
Conclusion:
Our search algorithm allows us to identify with acceptable precision the outpatient visits related to LARI in children under 2 years of age from electronic clinical records.
Related Concept Videos
01:30Pneumonia III: Complications and Assessment
01:28Physical Assessment of the Respiratory Tract I: Health History
Subjective Data
Subjective data provides vital information about the patient's health history and symptoms. This data is typically collected through interviews in which patients describe their experiences, symptoms, and concerns.
Health history and...
01:23Assessment of Respiration
Subjective Assessment: Nurses interview the patient to gather information directly during the subjective assessment. It includes questions about the individual's medical history, medications, and symptoms, focusing on past respiratory conditions like...
01:30Acute Pharyngitis
Acute pharyngitis is the inflammation of the back of the throat (pharynx), commonly resulting in a sore throat. It is a frequently encountered condition that prompts individuals to seek medical advice.
Classification
Acute pharyngitis can be categorized based on its underlying cause:
01:20Assessment of Ventilation I: Respiratory Rate
A Ventilation assessment is critical for monitoring a patient's health status. Respiration, one of the most accessible vital signs, provides insights into the function of numerous body systems and can indicate serious health issues, such as brainstem injuries from head trauma.
Critical Guidelines for Assessing Ventilation:
01:26Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Excretion