Sentinel 5.17.5 User Guide|
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| Sentinel 5.17.5 User Guide |
Sentinel can automatically transmit alerts to users based on the configured alert rules. Alerts inform users that a predefined group of disease has occurred, along with the count number, time span, and geography location. When an active case matches the requirements of the alert configuration, alerts are sent to users via email.
Sentinel allows investigators to specify alert rules. Users can create alert rules for themselves within their own jurisdiction. Local Health Administrators can create alert rules for themselves and other users within their jurisdiction.
To access the alert rules list, first click the Home
> Investigations tab, then select Alert Rules from the drop-down arrow button (
). The Alert Rules page opens.
To search for a specific alert rule, enter the optional search parameters (Alert Rule ID, Rule Name, and Condition) and click Search. The list narrows to display only the alert rules that meet the search criteria.
The list of alert rules can be sorted by clicking on a column header. Under the list of current alert rules list, the number of alert rules displayed on the page is listed (for example, Showing 1 to 8 of 8 entries) and on the right side of that line are previous and forward arrows; click the arrows as needed to display additional alert rules list. Click the X button to return to the main Investigations tab page.
To export the list of alert rules, click the CSV link in the Export options line at the bottom of the list. The list of alert rules is exported as a CSV file.
The available fields and buttons in the search results section of the Alert Rules page are as follows:
| Field/Option/Button | Description |
| New Rule | Click this button to create a new rule. See Create a New Alert Rule. |
| Show ___ entries | Select from the drop-down list the number of entries to display on the page: 10, 25, 50 or 100. |
| Search | Enter the first few characters of the search name to narrow the listed results. The list automatically filters based on what is entered in the field. |
(Add button)  |
Click this button to expand the row to show the disease associated with the rule. |
| Alert Rule ID | The system generated ID assigned to the alert rule. |
| User ID | The user ID of the user creating the alert rule. |
| Name | The rule name. |
| The email address to which the alert is sent. | |
| Case Count | The minimum number of cases that triggers the alert. |
| Time Span | The number of days for which the alert is active. |
| Geography | The area or location of the condition that trigger the alert. |
| Active | Displays True or False to indicate whether the rule is active or inactive. |
| Edit | Click this button to edit the rule. See Edit an Alert Rule. |
To create a new alert rule, click the New Rule button. The Create Alert Rule page opens. Enter the parameters and click Create Alert Rule. Click the X button to return to the Alert Rules page.
The available fields and options on the Create Alert Rule page are as follows:
| Fields/Options | Description |
| Rulename * | Enter the rule name. This field is required. |
| Userid * | Select the user ID from the drop-down list. By default, this field is pre-populated with your user ID. This field is required. |
| Email * | Enter one or more email addresses that receive the alert. This field is required. |
| Condition * | Select one or more diseases from the drop-down list. The alert keeps a count of the number cases for each disease selected from the list. This field is required. |
| Case Classification * | Select one or more case classifications from the list. This field is required. |
| Investigation Status * | Select one or more investigation status from the list. This field is required. |
| Outbreak * | Select one or more outbreaks from the list. This field is required. |
| Case Count Type * | Select Fixed or Variable Count from the drop-down list to define
a threshold. This field is required. If you select the Fixed
Count option the Case Count field appears.
If you select the Variable Count option the following fields appear:
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| Case Count* | Enter the minimum number of cases that triggers an alert. This must be a whole number. This field is required and displayed when the Fixed Count option is selected in the Case Count Type field. |
| Number of Std above Mean * | Enter the number of standard deviations above the average case count required to trigger an alert. This field is required and displayed when you select Variable Count option in the Case Count Type field. |
| Average Counts * | Enter the calculated averages and standard deviations for each month. This field is required and displayed when you select the Variable Count option in the Case Count Type field. |
| Time Span (days) * | Enter the number of days over which you are trying to detect an increase. Example: Weekly increase; monthly increase. This must be a whole number. This field is required. |
| Geography * | Select one of the following areas for which an alert is triggered
from the drop-down list. This field is required.
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| Comments | Enter any comments about the alert rule. |
| Debug End Date | Click in the field to enter the debug end date or select it from the calendar pop-up. Today's date is the default date. This field is displayed when the Debug Mode option is selected in the Administrative Debug Permissions section. |
| Debug Result | Displays the result of the debug calculation. This is a read-only field and is displayed when the Debug Mode option is selected in the Administrative Debug Permissions section. |
To edit an alert rule, search for it or locate the alert rule in the list, and click the Edit button. The Edit Alert Rule page opens. Make any necessary changes and click Submit Changes. If Debug Mode option in the Administrative Debug Permissions is enabled, the Save and Debug button appears on the Edit Alert Rule page. To save and debug the alert rule, click Save and Debug. Click the X button to return to the Alert Rules page. See the Create a New Alert Rule section for the available fields and their descriptions.
An alert message is automatically generated when the specified number of cases is entered into the system over a specified time frame and geographic area. The cases do not need to be confirmed to be considered a part of the count. Every time a new case is added for a specific disease or when there is a change to case condition, case classification, investigation status, outbreak status and/or the geography (investigation address), Sentinel searches for all the cases that match your alert criteria (if any) within the time span and using the Referral Date. If the count is higher than or equal to the count set in the alert, an alert message is generated.
The time frame is based on 24-hour periods instead of actual days, and the time and date the case entered into the system is considered when determining whether the case occurred within the time criteria. An alert is generated for each additional new case that enters the system if it occurs within the specified time frame.
The email alerts that are triggered via the alert rules are sent to the email addresses designated in the alert configuration. The following table describes the information in the email alert:
| Email Alert Information | Description |
| Subject | Indicates the alert message and source of the environment the alert is being sent from (i.e., Epi-Tracks, Epi-Tracks QA, Epi-Tracks Test, AKSTARS, AKSTARS Dev Staging, NHEDSS, NHEDSS Train, and STC QA <state> 8080 or 8082, etc.) |
| Message | The message which is received when an alert is triggered. It contains the parameters that were used to define the alert. Example: You have received an automated alert corresponding to Alert Number 220003 from Sentinel. |
To inactivate an alert rule, first search for it and/or locate it in the list, then click the Edit button. The Edit Alert Rule page opens. Deselect the Active checkbox to change the status from Active to Inactive and click Submit Changes.