Disease Surveillance Data Modelling

A measles investigation may centre on vaccination and exposure, while an enteric-disease investigation places more emphasis on food, travel and environmental factors. Translating these flexible, disease-specific questionnaires into a well-defined relational and dimensional model required a careful balance between standardisation and flexibility.

Separate models for every disease would increase maintenance and hinder cross-disease analysis. One rigid structure, however, would obscure clinically important differences.

I analysed questionnaire definitions across enteric diseases, meningococcal disease, measles, mumps and rubella, pertussis, and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC/VTEC).

Individual fields were mapped into common analytical categories including clinical information, laboratory results, vaccination, travel, exposures, risk factors, comorbidities and case management. From that classification, I developed entity relationship diagrams and proposed dimensional structures built around shared facts, dimensions and bridge tables.

• Case and assessment entities for disease investigations and questionnaire responses
• Shared analytical categories spanning five disease groups
• Case-management structures for operational actions and decisions
• Bridge tables for repeating exposure, vaccination and travel records
• Separation of common entities from disease-specific detail
• Field mappings and ERDs to guide future implementation