Rapidly scalable and low-cost public health surveillance reporting system for COVID-19
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2024
Abstract
Objective Data-driven innovations are essential in strengthening disease control. We developed a low-cost, open-source system for robust epidemiological intelligence in response to the COVID-19 crisis, prioritising scalability, reproducibility and dynamic reporting. Methods A five-tiered workflow of data acquisition; processing; databasing, sharing, version control; visualisation; and monitoring was used. COVID-19 data were initially collated from press releases and then transitioned to official sources. Results Key COVID-19 indicators were tabulated and visualised, deployed using open-source hosting in October 2022. The system demonstrated high performance, handling extensive data volumes, with a 92.5 user conversion rate, evidencing its value and adaptability. Conclusion This cost-effective, scalable solution aids health specialists and authorities in tracking disease burden, particularly in low-resource settings. Such innovations are critical in health crises like COVID-19 and adaptable to diverse health scenarios. © Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.
Keywords
Data interpretation, Statistical, Data visualization, Health communication, Information dissemination, Public health informatics
Divisions
Socialprevent
Publication Title
BMJ Health and Care Informatics
Volume
31
Issue
1
Publisher
BMJ Publishing Group