AI Article Synopsis
- * The pilot program, evaluated through questionnaires and focus groups, reported data on 7 outbreaks and 92 cases of acute watery diarrhea and significantly improved the speed, completeness, and sensitivity of reporting compared to previous methods.
- * Although the new system showed promise in enhancing data collection, there are challenges with stakeholder feedback and local involvement that need to be addressed for further improvement.
Article Abstract
The health care system in Papua New Guinea is fragile, and surveillance systems infrequently meet international standards. To strengthen outbreak identification, health authorities piloted a mobile phone-based syndromic surveillance system and used established frameworks to evaluate whether the system was meeting objectives. Stakeholder experience was investigated by using standardized questionnaires and focus groups. Nine sites reported data that included 7 outbreaks and 92 cases of acute watery diarrhea. The new system was more timely (2.4 vs. 84 days), complete (70% vs. 40%), and sensitive (95% vs. 26%) than existing systems. The system was simple, stable, useful, and acceptable; however, feedback and subnational involvement were weak. A simple syndromic surveillance system implemented in a fragile state enabled more timely, complete, and sensitive data reporting for disease risk assessment. Feedback and provincial involvement require improvement. Use of mobile phone technology might improve the timeliness and efficiency of public health surveillance.
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Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3837650 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.3201/eid1911.121843 | DOI Listing |
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