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Methodology
Rapid establishment of a national surveillance of COVID-19 hospitalizations in Belgium
Nina Van Goethem
Sciensano
Corresponding Author
ORCiD: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7316-6990
License:
This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License. Read Full License
View the published version at Archives of Public Health.
Background: In response to the COVID-19 epidemic, caused by a novel coronavirus, it was of great importance to rapidly collect as much accurate information as possible in order to characterize the public health threat and support the health authorities in its management. Hospital-based surveillance is paramount to monitor the severity of a disease in the population.
Methods: Two separate surveillance systems, a Surge Capacity survey and a Clinical survey, were set up to collect complementary data on COVID-19 from Belgium’s hospitals. The Surge Capacity survey collects aggregated data to monitor the hospital capacity through occupancy rates of beds and medical devices, and to follow a set of key epidemiological indicators over time. Participation is mandatory and the daily data collection includes prevalence and incidence figures on the number of COVID-19 patients in the hospital. The Clinical survey is strongly recommended by health authorities, focusses on specific patient characteristics and relies on individual patient data provided by the hospitals at admission and discharge.
Conclusions: This national double-level hospital surveillance was implemented very rapidly after the first COVID-19 patients were hospitalized and revealed to be crucial to monitor hospital capacity over time and to better understand the disease in terms of risk groups and outcomes. The two approaches are complementary and serve different needs.
Keywords
COVID-19, hospital-based surveillance, hospital capacity, hospital outcome
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This is a list of supplementary files associated with this preprint. Click to download.
- Additionalfile1.pdf
File name: “Additional file 1” File format: PDF 503 KB Title of data: “Timeline of changes applied to the data collection in the Surge Capacity survey in Belgium, February – June 2020” Description of data: “Scheme of the changes applied to the data collection in the Surge Capacity survey with their respective dates of implementation”
- Additionalfile3.pdf
File name: “Additional file 3” File format: PDF 20 KB Title of data: “Comparison baseline characteristics of patients in the Clinical survey based on the availability of admissions and/or discharge form.” Description of data: “Baseline characteristics of patients in the Clinical survey with both discharge and admission forms vs patients without discharge form, and patients without admission form.”
- Additionalfile4.pdf
File name: “Additional file 3” File format: PDF 20 KB Title of data: “Comparison baseline characteristics of patients in the Clinical survey based on the availability of admissions and/or discharge form.” Description of data: “Baseline characteristics of patients in the Clinical survey with both discharge and admission forms vs patients without discharge form, and patients without admission form.”
- Additionalfile2updated13september.docx
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CURRENT STATUS: Published
Version 2
Posted 17 Sep, 2020
Published
On 18 Nov, 2020
No community comments so far
Editorial decision: Accept
On 03 Nov, 2020
Reviewer #1 agreed
On 22 Oct, 2020
Reviewers invited
Invitations sent on 21 Sep, 2020
Editor assigned
On 15 Sep, 2020
Submission checks complete
On 14 Sep, 2020
Editor invited
On 14 Sep, 2020
No comments provided
Editorial decision: Minor Revision
On 08 Sep, 2020
Review #2 received
Received 05 Sep, 2020
Review #1 received
Received 17 Aug, 2020
Reviewer #2 agreed
On 10 Aug, 2020
Reviewers invited
Invitations sent on 04 Aug, 2020
Reviewer #1 agreed
On 04 Aug, 2020
Editor assigned
On 02 Aug, 2020
Submission checks complete
On 01 Aug, 2020
Editor invited
On 01 Aug, 2020
First submitted
On 30 Jul, 2020
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This preprint is under consideration at Archives of Public Health. A preprint is a preliminary version of a manuscript that has not completed peer review at a journal. Research Square does not conduct peer review prior to posting preprints. The posting of a preprint on this server should not be interpreted as an endorsement of its validity or suitability for dissemination as established information or for guiding clinical practice.
Learn more about In Review
Methodology
Rapid establishment of a national surveillance of COVID-19 hospitalizations in Belgium
Nina Van Goethem
Sciensano
Corresponding Author
ORCiD: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7316-6990
Badges
Prescreen
This manuscript passed our Prescreen assessment
Complete author information
Appropriate declaration statements
Potential risks to human health
Prescreen
Peer Review Timeline
CURRENT STATUS: Published
Version 2
Posted 17 Sep, 2020
Published
On 18 Nov, 2020
No community comments so far
Editorial decision: Accept
On 03 Nov, 2020
Reviewer #1 agreed
On 22 Oct, 2020
Reviewers invited
Invitations sent on 21 Sep, 2020
Editor assigned
On 15 Sep, 2020
Submission checks complete
On 14 Sep, 2020
Editor invited
On 14 Sep, 2020
No comments provided
Editorial decision: Minor Revision
On 08 Sep, 2020
Review #2 received
Received 05 Sep, 2020
Review #1 received
Received 17 Aug, 2020
Reviewer #2 agreed
On 10 Aug, 2020
Reviewers invited
Invitations sent on 04 Aug, 2020
Reviewer #1 agreed
On 04 Aug, 2020
Editor assigned
On 02 Aug, 2020
Submission checks complete
On 01 Aug, 2020
Editor invited
On 01 Aug, 2020
First submitted
On 30 Jul, 2020
Metrics
Comments: 0
PDF Downloads: ...
HTML Views: ...
License:
This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License. Read Full License
View the published version at Archives of Public Health.
Background: In response to the COVID-19 epidemic, caused by a novel coronavirus, it was of great importance to rapidly collect as much accurate information as possible in order to characterize the public health threat and support the health authorities in its management. Hospital-based surveillance is paramount to monitor the severity of a disease in the population.
Methods: Two separate surveillance systems, a Surge Capacity survey and a Clinical survey, were set up to collect complementary data on COVID-19 from Belgium’s hospitals. The Surge Capacity survey collects aggregated data to monitor the hospital capacity through occupancy rates of beds and medical devices, and to follow a set of key epidemiological indicators over time. Participation is mandatory and the daily data collection includes prevalence and incidence figures on the number of COVID-19 patients in the hospital. The Clinical survey is strongly recommended by health authorities, focusses on specific patient characteristics and relies on individual patient data provided by the hospitals at admission and discharge.
Conclusions: This national double-level hospital surveillance was implemented very rapidly after the first COVID-19 patients were hospitalized and revealed to be crucial to monitor hospital capacity over time and to better understand the disease in terms of risk groups and outcomes. The two approaches are complementary and serve different needs.
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3