Identification of healthcare visits due to respiratory syncytial virus infection in electronic medical records

Abstract

Introduction. Acute lower respiratory infections (ALRI) due to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are a significant cause of disease. Most of them are treated outpatient without etiological investigation, making it difficult to estimate the disease burden. In 2020, an algorithm was developed to identify consultations for ALRI in electronic health records. We evaluated the algorithm’s behavior in patients with RSV ALRI. Methods. The cross-sectional study included children under 5 years of age who consulted for ALRI with viral screening. The algorithm was applied to their health records, calculating diagnostic capacity to identify RSV ALRI. Results. We included 133 patients (age 4.9 ± 4.1 years). RSV was identified in 21.8%. The algorithm identified ALRI in 33.8% (95%CI: 26.3-42.2) and showed a limited ability to identify RSV infection (sensitivity: 55.2%, specificity: 72.1%). Conclusion. An algorithm for identifying ALRI consultations in electronic health records does not adequately distinguish those caused by RSV.