{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,3]],"date-time":"2025-10-03T00:57:30Z","timestamp":1759453050560,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":8,"publisher":"Georg Thieme Verlag KG","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,12,6]],"date-time":"2024-12-06T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1733443200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Gesundheitswesen"],"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title><jats:p>With the end of the COVID-19 pandemic and the decreasing significance of\n                        official reporting figures, the Lower Saxony State Health Office developed\n                        and tested a new indicator: the \"7-day sick leave incidence\".\n                        Unlike previous surveillance indicators, it is intended for syndromic\n                        surveillance of COVID-19. This article explains the methodological\n                        development as well as its benefits, possible applications, and\n                        limitations.<\/jats:p><jats:p>The indicator is based on the weekly number of sick leaves due to COVID-19\n                        per 100,000 health insurance members entitled to sickness benefits (KGbM) of\n                        the AOK Lower Saxony (AOKN). The development of the indicator involved\n                        differentiating between initial and follow-up sick leaves, investigating\n                        fluctuations in the number of KGbM, analysing the doctors\u2019 assignments of\n                        ICD Codes U07.1! and U07.2!, and ensuring the timely availability of sick\n                        leave data.<\/jats:p><jats:p>Initial and follow-up sick leaves were distinguished using a temporal\n                        algorithm. In 2022 and 2023, on average, 83.0% (s=5.4%) and 88.9% (s=2.3%)\n                        of all initial COVID-19-related sick notes were submitted on time by the end\n                        of the respective calendar week. Four out of 5 initial sick notes contained\n                        the doctors\u2019 ICD code U07.1! (lab-confirmed COVID-19). The number of KGbM\n                        proved to be stable (M=1.218.202, s=11.003). When comparing the new \u201c7-day\n                        sick leave incidence\u201d with the officially used \u201c7-day incidence rates\u201d\n                        during pandemic, trends were highly similar in 2022 (r=0.89), but diverged\n                        significantly in 2023 (r=0.26) due to declining diagnostic activities for\n                        the \u201c7-day incidence rates\u201d.<\/jats:p><jats:p>The new 7-day-sick-leave incidence is a good representation of the\n                        post-pandemic COVID-19 infection dynamics. The indicator uses routine data\n                        and is easy to establish. Limitations relate to possible changes in\n                        diagnostic procedures, doctors\u2019 coding behaviors and changing demands for\n                        sick leave.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1055\/a-2497-6449","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,12,6]],"date-time":"2024-12-06T19:39:06Z","timestamp":1733513946000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Piloting of a surveillance system for acute respiratory diseases:\n                    COVID-19 monitoring using Sick Leave Certificates"],"prefix":"10.1055","author":[{"given":"Inga","family":"Overesch","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Infektionsepidemiologie und -surveillance, Nieders\u00e4chsisches\n                    Landesgesundheitsamt, Hannover, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ulrike","family":"Junius-Walker","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Gesundheitsmonitoring und Pr\u00e4vention, Nieders\u00e4chsisches\n                    Landesgesundheitsamt, Hannover, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Johanna","family":"Schneider","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Infektionsepidemiologie und -surveillance, Nieders\u00e4chsisches\n                    Landesgesundheitsamt, Hannover, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Mareike","family":"Wollenweber","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Infektionsepidemiologie und -surveillance, Nieders\u00e4chsisches\n                    Landesgesundheitsamt, Hannover, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Karina","family":"Usipbekova","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Infektionsepidemiologie und -surveillance, Nieders\u00e4chsisches\n                    Landesgesundheitsamt, Hannover, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Wiebke","family":"B\u00f6hne","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Politik Forschung und Presse, AOK Niedersachsen, Die Gesundheitskasse,\n                    Hannover, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ina","family":"Holle","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Infektionsepidemiologie und -surveillance, Nieders\u00e4chsisches\n                    Landesgesundheitsamt, Hannover, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Johannes","family":"Dreesman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Infektionsepidemiologie und -surveillance, Nieders\u00e4chsisches\n                    Landesgesundheitsamt, Hannover, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Elke","family":"Mertens","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Infektionsepidemiologie und -surveillance, Nieders\u00e4chsisches\n                    Landesgesundheitsamt, Hannover, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Sveja","family":"Eberhard","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Politik Forschung und Presse, AOK Niedersachsen, Die Gesundheitskasse,\n                    Hannover, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"194","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,2]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1379","DOI":"10.1186\/s12889-022-13745-1","article-title":"Results of the Cologne Corona surveillance (CoCoS) study \u2013 a prospective\n                    population-based cohort study: incidence data and potential underestimation of\n                    new SARS-CoV-2 adult infections by health authorities","volume":"22","author":"M Oberste","year":"2022","journal-title":"BMC Public Health"},{"key":"ref5","first-page":"409","volume-title":"Epidemiologische Methoden zur Gewinnung verl\u00e4sslicher Daten. In: Schwartz FW,\n                    Walter U, Siegrist J et al. (eds) Public Health","author":"M Dreier","year":"2012"},{"key":"ref7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"395","DOI":"10.1007\/s00103-021-03303-2","article-title":"\u00dcberwachung von COVID-19 durch Erweiterung der etablierten Surveillance f\u00fcr\n                    Atemwegsinfektionen (Monitoring of COVID-19 by extending existing surveillance\n                    for acute respiratory infections)","volume":"64","author":"L Goerlitz","year":"2021","journal-title":"Bundesgesundheitsblatt Gesundheitsforschung\n                    Gesundheitsschutz"},{"key":"ref8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1492","DOI":"10.1007\/s00103-016-2442-4","article-title":"Influenza und ambulant erworbene Pneumonie in haus\u00e4rztlich t\u00e4tigen Arztpraxen in\n                    Deutschland (Influenza and community-acquired pneumonia in German primary\n                    care)","volume":"59","author":"A Zanuzdana","year":"2016","journal-title":"Bundesgesundheitsblatt Gesundheitsforschung\n                    Gesundheitsschutz"},{"key":"ref13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"765","DOI":"10.3238\/arztebl.m2023.0183","article-title":"COVID-19 surveillance based on sick leave certification rates","volume":"120","author":"U Junius-Walker","year":"2023","journal-title":"Dtsch Arztebl Int"},{"key":"ref14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"215","DOI":"10.1055\/a-2050-0429","article-title":"Das Gesundheitsdatennutzungsgesetz \u2013 Potenzial f\u00fcr eine bessere Forschung und\n                    Gesundheitsversorgung","volume":"85","author":"J Schmitt","year":"2023","journal-title":"Gesundheitswesen"},{"key":"ref16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"S77","DOI":"10.1055\/a-1553-3565","article-title":"V\u00f6llig unterschiedlich oder doch recht \u00e4hnlich? Die soziodemografische Struktur\n                    der AOK Niedersachsen im Vergleich zur nieders\u00e4chsischen und bundesweiten\n                    Allgemein- und Erwerbsbev\u00f6lkerung (Completely different or quite similar? The\n                    sociodemographic structure of the AOK Lower Saxony in comparison to the general\n                    and working population in Lower Saxony and the Federal Republic of Germany)","volume":"83","author":"J Epping","year":"2021","journal-title":"Gesundheitswesen"},{"key":"ref17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"447","DOI":"10.1007\/s00103-012-1626-9","article-title":"Wie \u201erepr\u00e4sentativ\u201c sind GKV-Daten? Demografische und soziale Unterschiede und\n                    \u00c4hnlichkeiten zwischen einer GKV-Versichertenpopulation, der Bev\u00f6lkerung\n                    Niedersachsens sowie der Bundesrepublik am Beispiel der AOK Niedersachsen (How\n                    \u201erepresentative\u201c are SHI data? Demographic and social differences and\n                    similarities using the example of the AOK in Lower Saxony)","volume":"56","author":"J Jaunzeme","year":"2013","journal-title":"Bundesgesundheitsblatt Gesundheitsforschung\n                    Gesundheitsschutz"}],"container-title":["Das Gesundheitswesen"],"original-title":[],"language":"de","link":[{"URL":"http:\/\/www.thieme-connect.de\/products\/ejournals\/pdf\/10.1055\/a-2497-6449.pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,2]],"date-time":"2025-10-02T22:58:11Z","timestamp":1759445891000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"http:\/\/www.thieme-connect.de\/DOI\/DOI?10.1055\/a-2497-6449"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2024,12,6]]},"references-count":8,"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1055\/a-2497-6449","archive":["Portico","CLOCKSS"],"relation":{},"ISSN":["0941-3790","1439-4421"],"issn-type":[{"type":"print","value":"0941-3790"},{"type":"electronic","value":"1439-4421"}],"subject":[],"published-other":{"date-parts":[[2024,12,6]]},"published":{"date-parts":[[2024,12,6]]}}}