A pilot study to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of electronic notification of confirmed cases of infectious diseases in Vanuatu

In 2022, Vanuatu implemented an electronic notification (e-Notification) system to collect reports of SARS-CoV-2 and the evaluation among healthcare workers found that e-notifications were acceptable and preferred to standard paper-based systems.

This study will expand the use of e-Notification to include additional notifiable diseases and to assess the feasibility and acceptability of electronic notifications for infectious disease surveillance in Vanuatu.  

Objective

The objectives of the research are:

• to implement and evaluate the use of e-notification system for reporting newly detected confirmed cases of four selected infectious diseases in health clinics and hospitals in two provinces in Vanuatu;
• to assess the acceptability, utility and feasibility of e-notification system for confirmed cases among health care workers and stakeholders;
• to describe notifications of confirmed cases of  four infectious diseases over a six month period.

Timeline

2024.

Approach

The primary study is a single arm, prospective, pilot project to gather notifications of four selected notifiable diseases detected in health centres, hospitals and private/NGO clinics in two provinces in Vanuatu (Shefa and Sanma provinces).

A secondary study is comprised of a pre-and post-intervention knowledge, attitudes and practices survey that will be conducted with medical officers.

Community impact

Evidence generated to inform the National Surveillance, Emergency Response and Research Unit on the potential to include e-notifications nationally.

The system is designed to be reproducible in other Pacific Island Countries and coding and database infrastructure will be shared if requested.

Data gathered in the project will increase understanding of the distribution of four selected notifiable diseases in Shefa and Sanma provinces.