ArticleJMIR public health and surveillance2021
Availability and Suitability of Digital Health Tools in Africa for Pandemic Control: Scoping Review and Cluster Analysis.
Article in JMIR public health and surveillance, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
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
15 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Availability of published evidence on coverage, cost components, and funding support for digitalisation of infectious disease surveillance in Africa, 2003-2022: a systematic review.BMC public health · 2024Pooled it
- Digital dashboards visualizing public health data: a systematic review.Frontiers in public health · 2023Pooled it
- Beyond Training: Systems Framework for Sustainable Health Informatics Investment in Africa.JMIR public health and surveillance · 2026Article
- One Health, Many Gaps: Rethinking Epidemic Intelligence in Resource-Limited Settings to Prepare for the Global Threat of Disease X.Microorganisms · 2025Review
- Use of Mobile Forms in Low-Resource Areas for Population Health Surveys: Interview and Field Test Study.JMIRx med · 2025Article
- Filling the gap: artificial intelligence-driven one health integration to strengthen pandemic preparedness in resource-limited settings.Frontiers in public health · 2025Review
- Key Characteristics and Perception of Different Outbreak Surveillance Systems in Côte d'Ivoire: Cross-Sectional Survey Among Users.JMIR public health and surveillance · 2024Article
- Article
- Software Tools to Facilitate Community-Based Surveillance: A Scoping Review.Global health, science and practice · 2023Article
- Facilitators and Barriers in the Implementation of a Digital Surveillance and Outbreak Response System in Ghana Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Qualitative Analysis of Stakeholder Interviews.JMIR formative research · 2023Article
- Repeatability of Pulse Oximetry Measurements in Children During Triage in 2 Ugandan Hospitals.Global health, science and practice · 2023Article
- Correlating global trends in COVID-19 cases with online symptom checker self-assessments.PloS one · 2023Article
- A Novel Tool for Real-time Estimation of Epidemiological Parameters of Communicable Diseases Using Contact-Tracing Data: Development and Deployment.JMIR public health and surveillance · 2022Article
- Digital dashboards with paradata can improve data quality where disease surveillance relies on real-time data collection.Digital healthArticle
- Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundGaining oversight into the rapidly growing number of mobile health tools for surveillance or outbreak management in Africa has become a challenge.
objectiveThe aim of this study is to map the functional portfolio of mobile health tools used for surveillance or outbreak management of communicable diseases in Africa.
methodsWe conducted a scoping review by combining data from a systematic review of the literature and a telephone survey of experts. We applied the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines by searching for articles published between January 2010 and December 2020. In addition, we used the respondent-driven sampling method and conducted a telephone survey from October 2019 to February 2020 among representatives from national public health institutes from all African countries. We combined the findings and used a hierarchical clustering method to group the tools based on their functionalities (attributes).
resultsWe identified 30 tools from 1914 publications and 45 responses from 52% (28/54) of African countries. Approximately 13% of the tools (4/30; Surveillance Outbreak Response Management and Analysis System, Go.Data, CommCare, and District Health Information Software 2) covered 93% (14/15) of the identified attributes. Of the 30 tools, 17 (59%) tools managed health event data, 20 (67%) managed case-based data, and 28 (97%) offered a dashboard. Clustering identified 2 exceptional attributes for outbreak management, namely contact follow-up (offered by 8/30, 27%, of the tools) and transmission network visualization (offered by Surveillance Outbreak Response Management and Analysis System and Go.Data).
conclusionsThere is a large range of tools in use; however, most of them do not offer a comprehensive set of attributes, resulting in the need for public health workers having to use multiple tools in parallel. Only 13% (4/30) of the tools cover most of the attributes, including those most relevant for response to the COVID-19 pandemic, such as laboratory interface, contact follow-up, and transmission network visualization.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.