Key Characteristics and Perception of Different Outbreak Surveillance Systems in Côte d'Ivoire: Cross-Sectional Survey Among Users.

BACKGROUND

Accurate and timely infectious disease surveillance is pivotal for effective public health responses. An important component of this is the disease surveillance tools used. Understanding views and experiences of users is crucial for informing policy decisions and ensuring the seamless functioning of surveillance systems.

OBJECTIVE

In this study, we aimed to assess the user perceptions of 3 disease surveillance tools used in Côte d'Ivoire, namely, MAGPI, District Health Information Software 2 (DHIS2), and Surveillance Outbreak Response Management and Analysis System (SORMAS), the latter was implemented in 2021 within a pilot scheme.

METHODS

We conducted interviews and a web-based survey distributed to users of the 3 surveillance tools. The survey assessed users' views of the surveillance tools' usefulness, ease of use, feelings toward the tool, conditions that may influence the use, and other characteristics. The descriptive analysis compared responses from SORMAS, MAGPI, and DHIS2 users, providing a comprehensive evaluation of their experiences.

RESULTS

Among the 159 respondents who actively use one of the systems, MAGPI was the most widely used surveillance tool among respondents (n=127, 79.9%), followed by DHIS2 (n=108, 67.9%), and SORMAS (n=25, 15.7%). In terms of users' perceptions, SORMAS, despite its limited implementation, emerged as a tool that allows for data analysis and had the most comprehensive set of functionalities. DHIS2 was appreciated for its frequency of report provision, although users reported occasional IT system failures. MAGPI was recognized for its ease of use but was reported to lack certain functionalities offered by the other surveillance systems.

CONCLUSIONS

This study offers valuable insights into the perceptions of disease surveillance tools users in Côte d'Ivoire. While all systems were positively regarded, each exhibited strengths and weaknesses addressing different needs and functionalities. Policy makers and health officials can use these findings to enhance existing tools or consider a unified approach for infectious disease surveillance systems. Understanding users' perspectives allows them to optimize the choice of surveillance tools, ultimately strengthening public health responses in Côte d'Ivoire and potentially serving as a model for other countries facing similar decisions in their health care systems.