SMS-based smartphone application for disease surveillance has doubled completeness and timeliness in a limited-resource setting - evaluation of a 15-week pilot program in Central African Republic (CAR).

Background: It is a challenge in low-resource settings to ensure the availability of complete, timely disease surveillance information. Smartphone applications (apps) have the potential to enhance surveillance data transmission.

Methods: The Central African Republic (CAR) Ministry of Health and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) conducted a 15-week pilot project to test a disease surveillance app, Argus, for 20 conditions in 21 health centers in Mambéré Kadéi district (MK 2016).