A near real-time electronic health record-based COVID-19 surveillance system: An experience from a developing country

Context: Access to real-time data that provide accurate and timely information about the status and extent of disease spread could assist management of the COVID-19 pandemic and inform decision-making. Aim: To demonstrate our experience with regard to implementation of technical and architectural infrastructure for a near real-time electronic health record-based surveillance system for COVID-19 in Iran. Method: This COVID-19 surveillance system was developed from hospital information and electronic health record (EHR) systems available in the study hospitals in conjunction with a set of open- source solutions; and designed to integrate data from multiple resources to provide near real-time access to COVID-19 patients' data, as well as a pool of health data for analytical and decision-making purposes. Outcomes: Using this surveillance system, we were able to monitor confirmed and suspected cases of COVID-19 in our population and to automatically notify stakeholders. Based on aggregated data collected, this surveillance system was able to facilitate many activities, such as resource allocation for hospitals, including managing bed allocations, providing and distributing equipment and funding, and setting up isolation centres. Conclusion: Electronic health record systems and an integrated data analytics infrastructure are effective tools to enable policymakers to make better decisions, and for epidemiologists to conduct improved analyses regarding COVID-19. Implications: Improved quality of clinical coding for better case finding, improved quality of health information in data sources, data-sharing agreements, and increased EHR coverage in the population can empower EHR- based COVID-19 surveillance systems.