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Protocol compares two systems for Belgian ILI surveillance

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Research area:public-health-epidemiologydisease-surveillance

What the study found

The article is a study protocol, so it does not report final findings. It describes a planned comparison of two surveillance systems for influenza-like illness (ILI, a flu-like syndrome) in Belgian general practices.

Why the authors say this matters

The authors say the work could help identify the most suitable alternative for effective and long-term ILI surveillance. They also conclude that the protocol could serve as a basis for validating other syndromic surveillance data from extraction-based systems in primary care.

What the researchers tested

The researchers are carrying out an observational retrospective study covering three influenza seasons from 2021 to 2024. They are comparing the code-based COVID-19 Barometer in General Practices, which extracts data from electronic medical records, with the questionnaire-based Belgian Sentinel General Practitioners network.

What worked and what didn't

The protocol says both qualitative and quantitative measures will be used to assess nine attributes: data quality, ILI incidence, sensitivity, representativeness, timeliness, acceptability, simplicity, stability, and flexibility. The study will use CDC surveillance evaluation guidelines and the Simple Multi-Attribute Rating Technique, with experts scoring and weighting three alternatives; the alternative with the higher endorsement will be considered preferable.

What to keep in mind

No final results are reported in the abstract because this is a protocol. The abstract does not describe limitations beyond the fact that the comparison is being planned and evaluated across the specified influenza seasons.

Key points

  • The article is a protocol, not a results paper.
  • It compares a code-based electronic medical record surveillance tool with a questionnaire-based sentinel network.
  • The focus is influenza-like illness surveillance in Belgian general practices.
  • The study uses nine evaluation attributes, including timeliness, sensitivity, and data quality.
  • Experts will score and weight three alternatives using a multi-criteria decision method.

Disclosure

Research title:
Protocol compares two systems for Belgian ILI surveillance
Authors:
Mélanie Nahimana, Sherihane Bensemmane, Floriane Rouvez, Laura Debouverie, Sarah Moreels, Robrecht De Schreye, Nathalie Bossuyt
Institutions:
Sciensano (Belgium), Sciensano (Belgium), Sciensano (Belgium), Sciensano (Belgium), Sciensano (Belgium), Sciensano (Belgium), Sciensano (Belgium)
Publication date:
2026-03-03
DOI:
10.1186/s13690-026-01869-4
OpenAlex record:
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AI provenance: This post was generated by gpt-5.4-mini (OpenAI). The original authors did not write or review this post.

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