Last
Updated July 9, 2003 |
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SARS-SP Downloads (may be viewed, printed or saved to your computer) |
| To: Potential SARS-SP Participants |
| From: SARS-SP Task Force, Frontlines of Medicine Workgroup |
| Re: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Surveillance Program |
| Update
July 9, 2003 The World Health Organization has now declared the SARS epidemic has been contained worldwide. Therefore the further use of the SARS screening tool is not indicated. We continue to believe that febrile patients should be questioned about their recent travel history, and we thank you for your ongoing commitment to improve public health preparedness. The Frontlines of Medicine workgroup |
| Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) represents an acute and potentially serious challenge for the citizens of the United States and our healthcare system. As such, public health surveillance is critical to both identify potential cases and track patterns of disease occurrence. This document explains the SARS Surveillance Program (SARS-SP), and how to achieve rapid and efficient implementation in your hospital and region. This project is being pursued by the Frontlines of Medicine workgroup in collaboration with the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), the Center for Disease Control (CDC) National Center for Infectious Disease (NCID), the City of Milwaukee Health Department, and EMSystem. We request that you coordinate the implementation of the SARS-SP in your region with the SARS task force. Questions can be directed to the task force by email at sars-sp@frontlinesmed.org. |
| The purpose of the SARS-SP is to 1.) Screen all febrile emergency department patients at the time of triage to immediately identify those with a potential diagnosis of SARS; and 2.) Assess the potential spread of SARS through the use of web-based tools that collect information from a number of sentinel emergency department locations in multiple regions across the country. Additional details are provided in the overview. |
| A standardized triage screening tool is available for all providers to download at www.frontlinesmed.org/SARS-SP. For those that register with their email address when downloading this tool, notices will be sent if and when the tool is updated. It is recommended that all emergency departments screen for SARS at triage to rapidly identify and respond to potential cases. Those wishing to participate in subsequent surveillance efforts should use the standardized tool for their data collection. |
The initial duration of the program is anticipated to be 8 weeks (through Memorial Day, May 30, 2003), but given the evolving, and at this time uncertain, impact of SARS, this time period is subject to change. The program may also be useful for developing baseline surveillance data for other respiratory infectious diseases identified by CDC as Type A agents for bioterrorism. Given the rapidly changing nature of this health care threat we recommend all providers consult frequently with web sites provided by ACEP, CDC, NACCHO and the World Health Organization (WHO). These sites are:
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| Thank you for your assistance in addressing this very serious public health issue. |
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