Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42292735›Full record

ArticleSSM - health systems2026

From legacy systems to real-time response: VPD-SMART implementation and its impact on public health surveillance in Paraguay and the Americas.

Claudia Ortiz, Felipe A Millacura, Christian Atavillos, Pamela Bravo-Alcántara, Juan Espinoza, Victor Osorio, Carolina Baeza, Paola Ojeda, Fernando Revilla, Carmelita Pacis and 21 more

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in SSM - health systems, 2026. 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

31 authors.

Claudia OrtizCenter for Immunizations, The Pan American Health Organization, Washington, DC, USA.
Felipe A MillacuraCenter for Immunizations, The Pan American Health Organization, Washington, DC, USA.
Christian AtavillosCenter for Immunizations, The Pan American Health Organization, Washington, DC, USA.
Pamela Bravo-AlcántaraCenter for Immunizations, The Pan American Health Organization, Washington, DC, USA.
Juan EspinozaCenter for Immunizations, The Pan American Health Organization, Washington, DC, USA.
Victor OsorioCenter for Immunizations, The Pan American Health Organization, Washington, DC, USA.
Carolina BaezaCenter for Immunizations, The Pan American Health Organization, Washington, DC, USA.
Paola OjedaCenter for Immunizations, The Pan American Health Organization, Washington, DC, USA.
Fernando RevillaCenter for Immunizations, The Pan American Health Organization, Washington, DC, USA.
Carmelita PacisCenter for Immunizations, The Pan American Health Organization, Washington, DC, USA.
Susana BobadillaExpanded Program on Immunization, Ministry of Health, Asunción, Paraguay.
Faviola AraceliExpanded Program on Immunization, Ministry of Health, Asunción, Paraguay.
Pablo Del MedicoHISP Centre, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
Carlos TejoHISP Centre, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
Enzo RossiHISP Centre, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
Fabian OrdoñezHISP Colombia, Bogota, Colombia.
Silvana Zapata-BedoyaCenter for Immunizations, The Pan American Health Organization, Washington, DC, USA.
Emilia CainCenter for Immunizations, The Pan American Health Organization, Washington, DC, USA.
Pilar TaveraCenter for Immunizations, The Pan American Health Organization, Washington, DC, USA.
Mirta MagarinosCenter for Immunizations, The Pan American Health Organization, Washington, DC, USA.
Alvaro WhittemburyCenter for Immunizations, The Pan American Health Organization, Washington, DC, USA.
Anne Jean-BaptisteCenter for Immunizations, The Pan American Health Organization, Washington, DC, USA.
Karen BroomeCenter for Immunizations, The Pan American Health Organization, Washington, DC, USA.
Pablo OvelarExpanded Program on Immunization, Ministry of Health, Asunción, Paraguay.
Teresa PerezExpanded Program on Immunization, Ministry of Health, Asunción, Paraguay.
Marko GarcíaHISP Colombia, Bogota, Colombia.
Neris VillalobosCenter for Immunizations, The Pan American Health Organization, Asunción, Paraguay.
Rebecca PotterHISP Centre, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
Luis CousiratExpanded Program on Immunization, Ministry of Health, Asunción, Paraguay.
Gloria Rey-BenitoCenter for Immunizations, The Pan American Health Organization, Washington, DC, USA.
Martha Velandia-GonzalezCenter for Immunizations, The Pan American Health Organization, Washington, DC, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

In the Americas, traditional public health surveillance systems often face a significant data-use gap, hindering a timely response to vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs). This manuscript details the implementation of VPD-SMART, a novel DHIS2-based system, as a digital transformation initiative to enhance VPD surveillance and bridge this gap. We analyze Paraguay's transition from the legacy Integrated Surveillance Information System (ISIS) to VPD-SMART, focusing on how its functionalities, including real-time decentralized data collection and enhanced analysis, improve the performance of health information systems. We find that the transition to VPD-SMART significantly improved data quality, consistency, and timeliness. A quantitative analysis showed a notable increase in data completeness and a rise in consistency for key variables from 54 % to 97 %. The average time for data entry also decreased, shifting from a weekly to a daily basis. Qualitative findings confirm that the system empowers health authorities with real-time, data-driven insights. By examining these challenges and opportunities, we provide empirical evidence on how leveraging DHIS2 can enhance public health surveillance and inform similar digital transformation efforts in other low- and middle-income countries.

Indexed as

DHIS2Digital transformationEpidemiological surveillanceHealth information systemsParaguayVaccine-preventable diseasesVPD-SMART

Identifiers

PMID42292735
PMCPMC13254873

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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.