Dengue hemorrhagic fever surveillance evaluation in Mahasarakham Hospital, 2023

Abstract

The dengue fever report for Health Region 7 in 2023 recorded 6,385 cases with 4 fatalities, resulting in a case fatality rate of 0.08%. Mahasarakham province reported the highest number of cases at 1,737, corresponding to an incidence rate of 183.78 per 100,000 population. Accurate, complete, and timely reporting of diseases through the surveillance system (Form 506) is crucial. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the system to understand its quantitative and qualitative characteristics for improvement. This cross-sectional descriptive study systematically sampled patient records based on the proportion of disease reports in 2023, using specified ICD-10 codes from January 1,  to December 31, 2023. Both case definitions and physician diagnoses were utilized. Reports in form 506 with codes 26, 27, and 66 were reviewed, reporting procedures were studied, and relevant personnel were interviewed. The findings revealed that, based on case definitions, the sensitivity was 79.92%, and the positive predictive value (PPV) was 44.50%. Based on physician diagnoses, the sensitivity was 76.65%, and the PPV was 71.87%. Variables such as gender, age, address (sub-district-district), nationality, and patient type were 100% complete. The accuracy for the onset date and diagnosis date variables was 79.86 and 92.4%. The age variable effectively represented the surveillance system. Timely reporting within 7 days was achieved in 100% of cases. Qualitatively, the dengue fever reporting process was found to be straightforward and clear, with data recorded in the Mahasarakham hospital Information System (MSK HIS). Staff were willing to learn, adapt reporting methods, and acknowledged the importance of the surveillance system. Management had policies and regularly monitored work, and personnel at all levels utilized the data for planning disease prevention and control. It is recommended that agencies review reportable diseases and communicate with relevant parties, promote the use of data both internally and externally to the hospital, which will enhance the effectiveness of the dengue fever surveillance system.