Volume 12, Number 2—February 2006
Perspective
Detecting Emerging Diseases in Farm Animals through Clinical Observations
Table 2
Comparison of 3 information systems to analyze animal disease through clinical observations*
| VetPAD | RSVP-A | "émergences" | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General information | |||||
| Country of origin | New Zealand | United States | France (available in French, Spanish, English) | ||
| Species targeted/ where applied | Farm animals/dairy cattle | Cattle/cattle | Domestic animals/cattle | ||
| Means of recording | Pocket PC | Palm device, PC with Internet, wireless microbrowser | PC with Internet, cell phone | ||
| Pilot tests | 7 veterinarians in New Zealand, 2004–2005 | 1) 17 veterinarians in Kansas, 2003–2006; 2) 10 veterinarians in New Mexico, 2005–2006 | 1) 12 veterinarians in France, 2003; 2) 30 veterinarians in 2 French counties, 2005–2007 | ||
| Record | |||||
| Type of clinical data | Syndromic surveillance: all clinical cases | Syndromic surveillance: 6 syndromes (see text) | Atypical syndromes and customized targeted diseases, record of the absence of cases | ||
| Main epidemiologic data | Farm localization and ownership, number affected, dead, and at risk | Type of farm, production stage, localization, number affected, dead, and at risk | Type of farm, production stage, localization, contact with other animals, number affected, dead, and at risk | ||
| Main data related to the disease | Clinical syndrome/specific clinical diagnosis | Type of syndrome, some additional clinical observation | Reasons for notification, main clinical characteristics | ||
| Type of data field | Pick-up lists, check boxes, free text fields | Pick-up lists, check boxes, free text fields | Pick-up lists, check boxes, free text fields | ||
| Other record | Photos | Photos, epidemiologic questionnaires | |||
| Output | |||||
| Related to epidemiologic surveillance | Analysis and reporting at the practitioner, regional, and national levels | Incident pattern reports from coverage areas defined by practitioners, maps | Practice statistics, statistics with all reported cases, access to all reports | ||
| Other outputs | Visit management, list of remedies, printouts for clients (wireless technology) | ||||
| Further technical developments | |||||
| GPS capability, linkage of clinical to laboratory diagnosis, barcode scanning | GPS capability | Implementation of anatomo-pathology and laboratory analyses | |||
*VetPAD, Veterinary Practitioner Aided Disease; RSVP-A, Rapid Syndrome Validation Project – Animal; "émergences," information system in France; PC, personal computer; GPS, global positioning system.
