Surveillance of Meningitis AND CNS INFECTIONS
Infections and inflammatory diseases or the central nervous system (CNS) are less common but may be severe when they occur. Yet, a majority of CNS infections never get linked to a specific pathogen. We collaborated in a quality improvement program with the Robert Koch Institute to learn more about a patient's exact signs and symptoms as well as the disease trajectory over time. We also tested all patients for the most common pathogens causing CNS infection/inflammation. Some of these pathogens can be prevented by vaccine, thus knowing how often the cause severe disease is important for a balanced risk/benefit a assessment of meningitis vaccines, for example.
Past research has shown that retrospective chart reviews often do not contain the complete clinical information that would allow for the implementation of international case definitions. These international case definitions are extremely helpful to bring in line both, infectious disease and vaccine safety surveillance.
The ViVI prospective surveillance program for meningitis and encephalitis introduced a novel digital tool (the VACC Tool) into the hospital workflow, for the immediate case ascertainment of rare neuro-infectious/inflammatory diseases in line with international case criteria and data standards. The mobile application allowed providers to examine their patients 'from head to toe' while comparing their clinical presentation to 10-20 clinical case definitions. The ideation, prototyping and iterations were done by the VIVI Scientific Think Tank, and the Tool was validated hundreds of patients in one of the largest pediatric academic hospitals in Europe.
Past research has shown that retrospective chart reviews often do not contain the complete clinical information that would allow for the implementation of international case definitions. These international case definitions are extremely helpful to bring in line both, infectious disease and vaccine safety surveillance.
The ViVI prospective surveillance program for meningitis and encephalitis introduced a novel digital tool (the VACC Tool) into the hospital workflow, for the immediate case ascertainment of rare neuro-infectious/inflammatory diseases in line with international case criteria and data standards. The mobile application allowed providers to examine their patients 'from head to toe' while comparing their clinical presentation to 10-20 clinical case definitions. The ideation, prototyping and iterations were done by the VIVI Scientific Think Tank, and the Tool was validated hundreds of patients in one of the largest pediatric academic hospitals in Europe.