The Impact of Standardized Decision Support on Syndromic Surveillance in Alberta

This study examined the impact of standardized decision supports to improve school absenteeism surveillance. Two public health zones in Alberta, Canada, participated. The intervention zone received additional alerts and applied a standard response protocol. The control zone continued with their usual practice. During the study period, the intervention zone received 246 alerts, detected 19 outbreaks and reported 39 instances of public health action. The control zone reported 20 alerts, detected 16 outbreaks and no additional actions. The intervention required additional staff time. The findings suggest that using standardized decision supports results in better surveillance but only when resources were provided.