Combining free text and structured electronic medical record entries to detect acute respiratory infections.

Background: The electronic medical record (EMR) contains a rich source of information that could be harnessed for epidemic surveillance. We asked if structured EMR data could be coupled with computerized processing of free-text clinical entries to enhance detection of acute respiratory infections (ARI).

Methodology: A manual review of EMR records related to 15,377 outpatient visits uncovered 280 reference cases of ARI.