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  • Clinical Utility of Preemptive Surge Measures Enacted as a Result of Conventional and Internet-Based Influenza Surveillance
    The research question is will coupling either traditional and/or novel internet-based influenza surveillance signals with a strategically focused response plan result in significant improvements in our ability to match care demands with resources (as measured by medical surge indices in the Emergency Department [ED]) compared to baseline and control sites). The value of bio-surveillance systems lies in the potential to warn and trigger early responses that could potentially prevent spread of disease and offset surge in medical facility operations. While extensive research and investment has been directed towards developing syndromic surveillance systems for infectious disease preparedness (including novel internet-based surveillance systems, e.g. Google Flu) there is a conspicuous absence of studies demonstrating improved outcomes in medical systems as a result of syndromic surveillance.
  • Medical Surge Capacity Metrics
    Medical surge capacity has been an important concern for contingency planners. Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD)-21 directly raises this concern. Considerable work has been undertaken by PACER, AHRQ and others to define the expected size of medical surge for variously scoped hazards contained in the current National Planning Scenarios (NPS). However, there has been a paucity of work to determine the capacity of any portion of the health system to absorb a surge. Furthermore, the need for quantifying surge capacity has practical applications in many sectors beyond healthcare, including supply chain and other critical infrastructure areas.