Abstract
The Electronic Surveillance System for the Early Notification of Community-based Epidemics in Florida (ESSENCE-FL) is a web-based application for use by epidemiologists within the Florida Department of Health and other public health professionals. In Hillsborough County, Florida a specific query has been developed to search for and identify possible tuberculosis patients and exposed contacts among the emergency department data in ESSENCE-FL. This study is designed to determine the usefulness of specific term-chief complaint and discharge diagnosis queries in identifying tuberculosis patients and exposed contacts