SnotWatch: data collaboration informing disease impact
Jim P. Buttery A B C D * , Aaron L. Weinman B C , Rana Sawires B C E , Eric Zhao B C , Tu Quan Nguyen A B C , Hazel J. Clothier A B C F and on behalf of the SnotWatch Collaboration GroupA
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Jim Buttery is professor of child health informatics at The University of Melbourne, head of the Epidemiology–Informatics Research Group at Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, chief research information officer at the Royal Children’s Hospital and Research team lead, at the Centre for Health Analytics, The Melbourne Children’s Campus. He has a well-established research profile in paediatric infectious diseases and vaccine safety. |
Aaron Weinman is the post-doctoral study coordinator for the SnotWatch platform within the Epidemiology–Informatics group at Murdoch Children’s Research Institute. He is an infectious diseases epidemiologist. |
Rana Sawires is a recent graduate of the Doctor of Philosophy and Doctor of Medicine at Monash University. She completed her PhD at Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and has continued in her role as a research associate with the Institute, expanding on her work in paediatric infectious diseases and public health. She is currently also a doctor at St Vincent’s Hospital, Melbourne. |
Eric Zhao completed his Doctor of Philosophy in statistics at Australian National University. He is a statistical data analyst within the Epidemiology–Informatics group at Murdoch Children’s Research Institute. |
Tu Nguyen is a PhD candidate in the Centre for Health Analytics, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne. She is an epidemiologist with experience in public health research, analysing large datasets and COVID-19 surveillance. |
Hazel Clothier is the epidemiology team lead within the Epidemiology Informatics group at Murdoch Children’s Research Institute. She serves as an academic supervisor for the Masters of Applied Epidemiology program. |
The SnotWatch Collaboration Group includes Monash Health (Tony Korman), Royal Children’s Hospital (Andrew Daley and Vanessa Clifford), Alfred Health (Adam Jenney), Barwon Health (Eugene Athan), Australian Clinical Labs (Benjamin Benc), Melbourne Health (Katherine Bond), Eastern Health (Roy Chean), Northern Health (Yvonne Hersusianto and Craig Aboltins), Outcome Health (Chris Pearce) and the Victorian Department of Health (Jim Black). |
Abstract
The spectrum of health conditions associated with the circulation of respiratory viruses remains poorly quantified. The SnotWatch platform has established a databank containing test results for respiratory polymerase chain reaction tests conducted by eight major Victorian pathology laboratories and has obtained access to major healthcare presentation databases, such as the Victorian Admitted Episodes Dataset, Victorian Emergency Minimum Dataset and POLAR GP. By establishing a statistical approach to describe the associations between healthcare presentations and circulating viruses in space and time at a population level, SnotWatch is uncovering the health conditions associated with virus circulation. SnotWatch’s methods have been validated by demonstrating the capacity to describe well-known associations, but have also uncovered novel associations. Methods used have also been able to incorporate environmental exposures. By elucidating the associations between viruses and health conditions, SnotWatch allows clinicians to make better informed diagnoses, anticipate healthcare presentations and outcomes, optimises resource management by healthcare providers and allows the benefits of vaccination to be more fully appreciated. SnotWatch’s future includes establishing methods for attributable burden, developing models for nowcasting and deepening our understanding of the economic impact of viruses.
Keywords: data analytics, epidemiology, public health, surveillance, viruses.
Jim Buttery is professor of child health informatics at The University of Melbourne, head of the Epidemiology–Informatics Research Group at Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, chief research information officer at the Royal Children’s Hospital and Research team lead, at the Centre for Health Analytics, The Melbourne Children’s Campus. He has a well-established research profile in paediatric infectious diseases and vaccine safety. |
Aaron Weinman is the post-doctoral study coordinator for the SnotWatch platform within the Epidemiology–Informatics group at Murdoch Children’s Research Institute. He is an infectious diseases epidemiologist. |
Rana Sawires is a recent graduate of the Doctor of Philosophy and Doctor of Medicine at Monash University. She completed her PhD at Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and has continued in her role as a research associate with the Institute, expanding on her work in paediatric infectious diseases and public health. She is currently also a doctor at St Vincent’s Hospital, Melbourne. |
Eric Zhao completed his Doctor of Philosophy in statistics at Australian National University. He is a statistical data analyst within the Epidemiology–Informatics group at Murdoch Children’s Research Institute. |
Tu Nguyen is a PhD candidate in the Centre for Health Analytics, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne. She is an epidemiologist with experience in public health research, analysing large datasets and COVID-19 surveillance. |
Hazel Clothier is the epidemiology team lead within the Epidemiology Informatics group at Murdoch Children’s Research Institute. She serves as an academic supervisor for the Masters of Applied Epidemiology program. |
The SnotWatch Collaboration Group includes Monash Health (Tony Korman), Royal Children’s Hospital (Andrew Daley and Vanessa Clifford), Alfred Health (Adam Jenney), Barwon Health (Eugene Athan), Australian Clinical Labs (Benjamin Benc), Melbourne Health (Katherine Bond), Eastern Health (Roy Chean), Northern Health (Yvonne Hersusianto and Craig Aboltins), Outcome Health (Chris Pearce) and the Victorian Department of Health (Jim Black). |
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