Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation of the COVID-19 Response in a Local Public Health System.

Christina M Holt,Stephen B Fawcett,Ruaa Hassaballa-Muhammad,Sonia Jordan,Dan Partridge

doi:10.1177/15248399211041085

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic tested the capacity of local health systems to understand and respond to changing conditions. Although data on new cases of COVID-19 were widely shared in communities, there was less information on the multisector response activities and factors associated with implementation. To address this gap, this empirical case study examined (a) the pattern of implementation of COVID-19 response activities and (b) the factors and critical events associated with both the pattern of new cases and the implementation of the local COVID-19 response. We used a participatory monitoring and evaluation system to capture, code, characterize, and communicate 580 COVID-19 response activities implemented in the city of Lawrence and Douglas County, Kansas. Collaboration across sectors including public health, medical services, city/county government, businesses, social services, public schools, and universities enabled the local public health system’s response effort. Documentation results showed the varying pattern of new COVID-19 cases and response activities over time and the factors identified as enabling or impeding the response and related new cases. Similar participatory monitoring and evaluation methods can be used by local health systems to help understand and respond to the changing conditions of COVID-19 response and recovery.

Highlights

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic swept the world in 2020 (Alwan et al, 2020), with a highly varied impact on cases and deaths in different places (USA Facts, 2020; World Health Organization [WHO], 2020a)
This study examined two evaluation questions (CDC, 2020a) related to mitigation of COVID-19 in the local community: (a) “What factors or critical events were associated with increases and decreases in the pattern of new cases of COVID-19 in the community?” and (b) “What factors or critical events were identified as enabling or impeding the COVID-19 response of the local public health system?”
The pattern shows a low level of new cases from March until mid-June 2020, followed by different marked rises and gradual falls in reported cases, with cases showing a series of peaks in July, September, and November of the study period

Summary

Introduction

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic swept the world in 2020 (Alwan et al, 2020), with a highly varied impact on cases and deaths in different places (USA Facts, 2020; World Health Organization [WHO], 2020a). Systematic documentation of response activities was rare This made it difficult to estimate the “dose” of the response and the factors that enabled or impeded efforts and was a barrier to making needed adjustments. Research can help discover what combinations of strategies are effective in mitigation (Hsiang et al, 2020), there is wide variation in the COVID-19 response in local communities. This empirical case study had two primary aims: (a) to capture and communicate COVID-19 response activities in a local public health system and (b) to facilitate participatory sense making in which partners identify factors related to new cases and response activities

Methods

Results

Conclusion