ISARIC Data Tools

Introduction

Clinical data are fundamental in shaping effective clinical and policy decisions during outbreaks. Rapid identification of case definitions, outcome rates, and risk factors is critical for managing new infections and sudden epidemiological shifts. From a data perspective, outbreak response involves three key components:

• Collection: This phase relies on the availability and effort of frontline healthcare workers and research staff, which can be especially limited in low-resource environments where electronic health records are scarce and disease outbreaks are frequent.
• Curation: Maintaining high data quality and consistency is vital, particularly during outbreaks where discrepancies and inconsistent data collection methods can compromise data integrity.
• Analysis: Quickly answering relevant questions is essential for guiding outbreak response. The lack of standardized analysis protocols and limited analytical resources can restrict the ability to rapidly generate actionable insights.

This series of guides and tutorials is designed to provide you with the knowledge and skills to effectively use ISARIC data tools in each of these crucial areas, enabling you to optimize your outbreak response efforts.