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. 2001 May;6(5):263-8.
doi: 10.1093/pch/6.5.263.

The Canadian Paediatric Surveillance Program: Beyond collecting numbers

J A Doherty  1 , D Grenier
Affiliations

The Canadian Paediatric Surveillance Program: Beyond collecting numbers

J A Doherty et al. Paediatr Child Health. 2001 May.

Abstract
in English, French

Traditionally, anecdotal data and retrospective case reports have been used for insight into the natural history, epidemiology and case management of rare diseases. This lack of information has often resulted in delayed recognition and diagnosis of rare diseases, increasing the risk of complications or death of children. Furthermore, the study of rare condiions has been hampered by the need to generate sufficient numbers to enable meaningful analysis and interpretation, a need that requires data collection from a large population. The Canadian Paediatric Surveillance Program (CPSP) was established in 1996 to contribute to the improvement of the health of children and youth by national surveillance and research into uncommon paediatric diseases and conditions. The CPSP provides the mechanism to enable the prospective collection of national epidemiological data on such diseases and conditions. After five years, has the CPSP risen to meet expectations? Is it based on scientific evidence? The CPSP has revealed itself to be a very sensitive surveillance tool, providing invaluable longitudinal, epidemiological information for public health decision-makers. The present paper reviews how the different communicable diseases on the CPSP monthly reporting form stand the test of the 1998 priority criteria for diseases under national surveillance set by Canada's Advisory Committee on Epidemiology.

Depuis toujours, les données isolées et les rapports rétrospectifs de cas servent à mieux comprendre les antécédents naturels, l’épidémiologie et la prise en charge des maladies rares. Ce peu d’information a souvent suscité un retard de dépistage et de diagnostic des maladies rares, ce qui accroît le risque de complication ou de décès des enfants. De plus, l’étude des maladies rares est retardée par le besoin de produire assez de chiffres pour assurer une analyse et une interprétation valables, ce qui exige la collecte de données auprès d’une vaste population. Le Programme canadien de surveillance pédiatrique (PCSP) a été fondé en 1996 afin de contribuer à améliorer la santé des enfants et des adolescents grâce à la surveillance nationale et à la recherche de maladies et d’états pathologiques rares. Le PCSP fournit le mécanisme nécessaire pour permettre la collecte prospective de données épidémiologiques nationales sur ces maladies. Après cinq ans, le PCSP répond-il aux attentes? Se fonde-t-il sur des observations scientifiques? Le PCSP s’est révélé un outil de surveillance très sensible, fournissant de l’information épidémiologique longitudinale précieuse aux décideurs en santé publique. Le présent article démontre dans quelle mesure les diverses maladies transmissibles indiquées sur le formulaire de rapport mensuel du PCSP respectent les critères prioritaires établis en 1998 par le comité consultatif fédéral-provincial sur l’épidémiologie à l’égard des maladies sous surveillance nationale.

Keywords: Communicable diseases; Epidemiology; Rare diseases; Surveillance.

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