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GLOBVAC-Global helse- og vaksin.forskn

Information Systems for Emergency Diseases Emergency Response to the Covid-19 Pandemic – supporting global and national surveillance

Alternativ tittel: Informasjonssystemer for COVID-19 - global og nasjonal sykdomsovervåkning

Tildelt: kr 4,8 mill.

Dette prosjektet hadde som hovedmål å støtte lav- og mellominntektsland (LMICs) med passende helseinformasjonssystemer, og gi dem mulighet til å svare på raskt skiftende informasjonsbehov under COVID-19-pandemien og senere sykdomsutbrudd. Prosjektet var sentrert om DHIS2, verdens største HMIS-plattform, brukt av helsedepartementer i 73 LMIC-er med 58 distribusjoner i nasjonal skala. Et av landene i konsortiet, Ghana, tok i bruk Surveillance Outbreak Response Management and Analysis System (SORMAS). Prosjektet besto av en studie av HMIS for COVID-19-sporing i Sri Lanka, Mosambik, Kenya, Ghana og Norge, med følgende mål: (1) vurdering av erfaring med bruk av HMIS til COVID-19-overvåking blantsmittesporere, helseledere og nasjonale HIS-administratorer; (2) utarbeidelse og bruk av en protokoll for evaluering av datakvalitet; (3) sammenligning av HMIS brukserfaringer på tvers av land; (4) utarbeidelse av anbefalinger for å styrke og forbedre HMIS for covid-19-overvåking. Denne forskningen førte til at vi forsto vurderingen av COVID-19-overvåkingsplattformer i fem land, hvorav fire brukte DHIS2-systemet og ett, Ghana, ved bruk av SORMAS. Prosjektet ga viktig innsikt i hvordan kontaktsporere, helseledere og nasjonale helseimplementere brukte digitale plattformer for sykdomsovervåking, og noterte funksjoner og mønstre assosiert med nøkkelvariabler inkludert enkelhet, aksept av teknologi og kvaliteten på dataene som samles inn. Funn på de to plattformene har høy verdi for sykdomsovervåking, spesielt ettersom teknologier i økende grad deltar i gjennomføringen av smittesporing i miljøer med lite ressurser.

This research led us to understand the appraisal of COVID-19 surveillance platforms across five countries, four of which used the DHIS2 system and one, Ghana, using SORMAS. Working across Norway, Ghana, Sri Lanka, Mozambique and Kenya, the project drew important insights on how contact tracers, health managers and national health implementers used digital platforms for disease surveillance, noting features and patterns associated with key variables including simplicity, acceptability of the technology and quality of the data collected. Findings on the two platforms have high value for disease surveillance, especially as technologies are increasingly participating in the conduct of contact tracing in low-resource settings. Our research has developed important insights on the role of digital platforms in disease surveillance, and on how this may vary across countries. The research has produced findings on digital contact tracing that enhance future pandemic preparedness, by unpacking the role of digital technologies within disease surveillance and illuminating how different actors perceive the same technologies.

During epidemics from emerging diseases, WHO guidelines and local circumstances change rapidly. Hence, information systems for operative health workers as well as epidemiological managers should change at the same speed. A consortium for supporting less developed countries with a COVID-19 information system, funded by NORAD, has been set up and is working with 40+ countries. The consortium delivers updated versions every week based on new requirements from the countries and WHO. The research project will generate knowledge on how a consortium can manage such rapid changes to be carried out effectively when there are thousands of end-users, travel restrictions, a high-performance pressure, and in countries where there is a shortage of skilled health workers, health information systems specialists, unstable electrical power and internet. The research will investigate the system and its development and change process in three countries; Ghana, Kenya, and Sri Lanka, representing different cultural regions. The project will have partners in these countries. Also, the global consortium will be studied. The first evaluation will address all direct users with a survey and all members of national and global teams with qualitative interviews. Based on this data and computer logs, an assessment of the system and of the rapid development process will be carried out. Research papers and reports to the consortium and countries including recommendations for changes in the system and in the development process. will be written. This assessment will also be presented to the consortium national teams and selected users after 6 months. A repeated evaluation will take place month 12-18, and a second round of dissemination back to the developers and users will take place. Since no research of such rapid system development cycles has been found in the literature, the conclusions from two evaluations will constitute new knowledge.

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GLOBVAC-Global helse- og vaksin.forskn