| Title: |
Overview and evaluation of a nationwide hospital-based surveillance system for influenza and COVID-19 in Switzerland (CH-SUR) : 2018–2023 |
| Authors: |
Sobel, Jonathan; Zanella, Marie-Céline; Grant, Rebecca; Valera, Camille Beatrice Gaza; Suveges, Mária; Urbini, Laura; Mostaguir, Khaled; Botero Mesa, Sara; Roder, Ursina; Bosetti, Davide; Sommerstein, Rami; Heininger, Ulrich; Zimmermann, Petra; Schreiber, Peter W.; Flury, Domenica; Niederer-Loher, Anita; Jent, Philipp; Cusini, Alexia; Pittet, Didier; Harbarth, Stéphan Juergen; Iten, Anne Clemence Marie; Keiser, Olivia |
| Source: |
ISSN: 1424-3997 ; Swiss medical weekly, vol. 155, no. 11 (2025) 4213. |
| Publication Year: |
2025 |
| Collection: |
Université de Genève: Archive ouverte UNIGE |
| Subject Terms: |
info:eu-repo/classification/ddc/613; info:eu-repo/classification/ddc/616; info:eu-repo/classification/ddc/618; Adult; Aged; COVID-19 / epidemiology; Female; Humans; Influenza; Human / epidemiology; Male; Middle Aged; Pandemics; Population Surveillance / methods; SARS-CoV-2; Switzerland / epidemiology; Tertiary Care Centers |
| Description: |
BACKGROUND: In 2018, a hospital-based surveillance system for influenza (CH-SUR) was established in six tertiary care hospitals in Switzerland. From March 2020 onwards, this surveillance system was expanded to include more institutions, as well as COVID-19. AIM: To quantitatively evaluate the timeliness and completeness of CH-SUR data and to qualitatively assess stakeholder perceptions of the importance, reliability and adaptability of the surveillance system. METHODS : All patients admitted to one of the participating centres for more than 24 hours and who had a laboratory-confirmed influenza virus or SARS-CoV-2 infection were included in CH-SUR. For all cases, we evaluated the timeliness and completeness of reporting to CH-SUR. A qualitative survey among CH-SUR stakeholders assessed perceived importance, understanding, reliability and adaptability of CH-SUR. RESULTS: Up to 20 centres participated in CH-SUR. Between December 2018 and October 2023, 7375 cases of influenza were reported and between March 2020 and October 2023, 49,235 cases of COVID-19 were reported to CH-SUR. During the COVID-19 pandemic, time to data entry and completeness improved over time; the median delay of data entry in CH-SUR was 5 days (interquartile range [IQR]: 2–23) for COVID-19 and 4 days (IQR: 2–15) for influenza during the period 2018–2023. The completeness of variables was high (99.4%), with the exception of COVID-19 or annual influenza vaccination status (respectively, 15% and 72% “Unknown” responses). Stakeholders perceived the system as important, relevant, understandable and adaptable. CONCLUSION: CH-SUR provided critical epidemiological and clinical information on hospitalised influenza and COVID-19 cases across Switzerland during the pandemic. Our evaluation highlighted the importance and relevance of this system among CH-SUR stakeholders, as well as its importance for preparedness and response to future infectious disease outbreaks. |
| Document Type: |
article in journal/newspaper |
| Language: |
English |
| Relation: |
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/pmid/41364828; unige:190175 |
| Availability: |
https://archive-ouverte.unige.ch/unige:190175 |
| Rights: |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
| Accession Number: |
edsbas.F9D94F97 |
| Database: |
BASE |