Abstract
Strengthening health systems and maintaining essential service delivery during health emergencies response is critical for early detection and diagnosis, prompt treatment, and effective control of pandemics, including the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Health information systems (HIS) developed during recent Ebola outbreaks in West Africa and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) provided opportunities to collect, analyze, and distribute data to inform both day-to-day and long-term policy decisions on outbreak preparedness. As COVID-19 continues to sweep across the globe, HIS and related technological advancements remain vital for effective and sustained data sharing, contact tracing, mapping and monitoring, community risk sensitization and engagement, preventive education, and timely preparedness and response activities. In reviewing literature of how HIS could have further supported mitigation of these Ebola outbreaks and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, 3 key areas were identified: governance and coordination, health systems infrastructure and resources, and community engagement. In this concept study, we outline scalable HIS lessons from recent Ebola outbreaks and early COVID-19 responses along these 3 domains, synthesizing recommendations to offer clear, evidence-based approaches on how to leverage HIS to strengthen the current pandemic response and foster community health systems resilience moving forward.
Highlights
Strengthening health systems and maintaining essential service delivery during health emergencies response is critical for early detection and diagnosis, prompt treatment, and effective control of pandemics, including the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
As the world responds to the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), recent analysis suggests that strengths and weaknesses in Health information systems (HIS) have re-emerged along these 3 domains, offering timely insight on how to scale up evidence-based and efficient HIS to contain the ongoing pandemic
Noting the lack of documentation on the implications and added value of scaling up HIS and related digital innovation during public health emergencies, a critical analysis synthesizing concepts along these domains is needed to prevent and mitigate COVID-19 and other emerging public health threats worldwide. This piece uses examples from Ebola and COVID-19 because of their similarities as fast-moving infectious diseases that have been designated as Public Health Emergencies of International Concern (PHEIC), their high impact on morbidity and mortality, and their disruption of routine health services and economic activity at a global scale
Summary
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