Because the severe acute respiratory syndrome ( SARS) outbreak in Taiwan in 2003 was worsened by hospital infections, we analyzed 229 questionnaires ( 84.8% of 270 sent) completed by surveyed healthcare workers who cared for patients with SARS in 3 types of hospitals, to identify surveillance problems. Atypical clinical presentation was the most often reported problem, regardless of hospital type, which strongly indicates that more timely syndromic surveillance was needed.
