The pandemic surveillance hub pilot aims to test whether ASPREN surveillance activities can be delivered using an electronic data collection, nurse-led model, with practice nurses undertaking all ASPREN respiratory swabbing and surveillance data collection.  This approach aims to reduce the burden on GPs while making surveillance easier to integrate into routine clinical workflows.

The pilot is also testing new digital approaches to data collection.  Rather than relying on ASPREN’s traditional paper-based swab forms, nurses are entering surveillance information directly into an online survey using tablets at the point of care.  This will help ASPREN assess whether digital data collection can improve the efficiency, completeness and timeliness of surveillance reporting.

The final component of the pilot involves testing an SMS-based patient follow-up system.  Patients who participate in ASPREN surveillance can opt-in to be sent short surveys following their consultation, to provide additional information about their symptoms and illness over time.  This is similar to systems used by Australian health departments during the COVID-19 pandemic, where patients were contacted electronically to monitor symptoms and disease burden.

Together, these approaches are designed to explore how primary care respiratory surveillance could become more efficient, scalable and responsive, while maintaining the high-quality clinical and laboratory information already collected through ASPREN.

Participating clinicians will also have access to the ASPREN Surveillance Hub Dashboard, which provides a local picture of respiratory viruses circulating in the Northern Territory, the symptoms associated with different infections and the patient groups most affected.  This information can be used to support clinical decision-making.

Importantly, the pilot is being refined in partnership with the clinicians and nurses delivering it.  Their feedback will help ASPREN understand what works in a busy primary care environment and identify improvements that could make participation simpler and more sustainable.

If successful, the model could be expanded nationally, helping Australia maintain a stronger, more flexible and pandemic-ready primary care sentinel surveillance system.