An Ecological Analysis of the Impact of Temperature Inversion on Emergency Department Visits for Respiratory Syndromes and Subsyndromes using BioSense 2.0 Frontend Data

Introduction During the winter months, Utah experiences a temperature inversion which traps pollutants, such as fine particle pollution (PM 2.5), in the Salt Lake Valley. A previous study determined the impact of inversion on ED visits for asthma,1 however similar phenomena have yet to be examined using the BioSense 2.0 syndromic surveillance system. While similar studies utilize a time-stratified case-crossover design, the absence of individually identifiable information on the dashboard precludes the utilization of this methodology. Using BioSense 2.0 frontend data, an ecological study design may allow for analyses to determine the impact of inversion on ED visits for respiratory syndrome and subsyndromes from submitting facilities in Salt Lake County, UT.