Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40184558›Full record

ArticlePLoS computational biology2025

Quantifying the impact of contact tracing interview prioritisation strategies on disease transmission: A modelling study.

Logan Wu, Christopher M Baker, Nicholas Tierney, Kylie Carville, Jodie McVernon, Nick Golding, James M McCaw, Freya M Shearer

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PLoS computational biology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Logan WuPopulation Health and Immunity, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, Melbourne, Australia.ORCID 0000-0003-1539-4439
Christopher M BakerSchool of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
Nicholas TierneyThe Kids Research Institute, Perth, Australia.
Kylie CarvilleDepartment of Infectious Diseases, The University of Melbourne, at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Australia.
Jodie McVernonDepartment of Infectious Diseases, The University of Melbourne, at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Australia.
Nick GoldingThe Kids Research Institute, Perth, Australia.
James M McCawSchool of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
Freya M ShearerMelbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.ORCID 0000-0001-9600-3473

Funding

Australian Government Department of Health Office of Health Protection (JMcV)Investigator Grant Schemes (JMcV Principal Research Fellowship)National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Contact tracing is an important public health measure used to reduce transmission of infectious diseases. Contact tracers typically conduct telephone interviews with cases to identify contacts and direct them to quarantine, with the aim of preventing onward transmission. However, in situations where caseloads exceed the capacity of the public health system, timely interviews may not be feasible for all cases. Here we present a modelling framework for assessing the impact of different case interview prioritisation strategies on disease transmission. Our model is based on Australian contact tracing procedures and informed by contact tracing data on COVID-19 cases notified in Australia from 2020 to 2021. Our results demonstrate that last-in-first-out strategies (where cases with the most recent swab or notification dates are interviewed first) are more effective at reducing transmission than first-in-first-out strategies (where cases with the oldest swab or notification dates are interviewed first) or strategies with no explicit prioritisation. To maximise the public health benefit from a given case interview capacity, public health practitioners may consider our findings when designing case interview prioritisation protocols for outbreak response.

Indexed as

Contact TracingCOVID-19AustraliaComputational BiologyDisease OutbreaksHumansPublic HealthSARS-CoV-2

Identifiers

PMID40184558
PMCPMC11970911

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.