Challenges Faced by Hospital Healthcare Workers in Using a Syndrome-Based Surveillance System during the 2003 Outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome in Taiwan

Because the severe acute respiratory syndrome ( SARS) outbreak in Taiwan in 2003 was worsened by hospital infections, we analyzed 229 questionnaires ( 84.8% of 270 sent) completed by surveyed healthcare workers who cared for patients with SARS in 3 types of hospitals, to identify surveillance problems. Atypical clinical presentation was the most often reported problem, regardless of hospital type , which strongly indicates that more timely syndromic surveillance was needed