ArticlePloS one2020
Case study of Argus in Togo: An SMS and web-based application to support public health surveillance, results from 2016 to 2019.
Article in PloS one, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- Performance of Routine Disease Surveillance in Sub-Saharan Africa (2010-2024): A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Core Reporting and Detection Indicators.Health science reports · 2026Review
- Establishing One Health Surveillance Platform for Electronic Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response in Malawi: Action Design Research Study.JMIR public health and surveillance · 2026Article
- Assessing the implementation of the disease surveillance and response strategy in Togo.PLOS global public health · 2026Article
- Availability and Suitability of Digital Health Tools in Africa for Pandemic Control: Scoping Review and Cluster Analysis.JMIR public health and surveillance · 2021Article
- Participatory Surveillance of COVID-19 in Lesotho via Weekly Calls: Protocol for Cell Phone Data Collection.JMIR research protocols · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
12 authors.
Funding
Abstract
introductionArgus is an open source electronic solution to facilitate the reporting and management of public health surveillance data. Its components include an Android-phone application, used by healthcare facilities to report results via SMS; and a central server located at the Ministry of Health, displaying aggregated results on a web platform for intermediate and central levels. This study describes the results of the use of Argus in two regions of Togo.
methodsArgus was used in 148 healthcare facilities from May 2016 to July 2018, expanding to 185 healthcare facilities from July 2018. Data from week 21 of 2016 to week 12 of 2019 was extracted from the Argus database and analysed. An assessment mission took place in August 2016 to collect users' satisfaction, to estimate the concordance of the received data with the collected data, and to estimate the time required to report data with Argus.
resultsOverall completeness of data reporting was 76%, with 80% of reports from a given week being received before Tuesday 9PM. Concordance of data received from Argus and standard paper forms was 99.7%. Median time needed to send a report using Argus was 4 minutes. Overall completeness of data review at district, regional, and central levels were 89%, 68%, and 35% respectively. Implementation cost of Argus was 23 760 USD for 148 facilities.
conclusionsThe use of Argus in Togo enabled healthcare facilities to send weekly reports and alerts through SMS in a user-friendly, reliable and timely manner. Reengagement of surveillance officers at all levels, especially at the central level, enabled a dramatic increase in completeness and timeliness of data report and data review.
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