Mobile device-based reporting system for Sichuan earthquake-affected areas infectious disease reporting in China.

Yan Guo; Xue Mei SU

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Mobile device-based reporting system for Sichuan earthquake-affected areas infectious disease reporting in China.

Author: Yan GUO ¹ ; Xue Mei SU
Author Information

1. National Center for Public Health Surveillance and Information Service, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 102206, China.
Publication Type:Journal Article
MeSH: Cell Phone; China; Communicable Diseases; epidemiology; Disease Notification; methods; Earthquakes; Emergencies; Humans; Population Surveillance; methods
From: Biomedical and Environmental Sciences 2012;25(6):724-729
CountryChina
Language:English
Abstract:
OBJECTIVETo describe the experience of the China CDC in rebuilding reporting capacity and response to the Sichuan earthquake through use of mobile phones.
METHODSSoftware engineering and business modeling are used to design and develop a cell phone-based reporting system. The PDA-based system used by the Field Adapted Survey Toolkit (FAST) was deployed
RESULTSApproximately one week after deployment of the mobile phone-based reporting system, the cumulative reporting rate reached the same level (81%) as the same period in 2007. In the Sichuan provincial pilot investigation for infectious disease, 1339 records were collected using PDAs developed and deployed by FAST.
CONCLUSIONThe mobile-based system is recognized as a quick and effective response solution to this public health challenge. Our experience suggests that mobile-based data collection tools provide faster, cleaner, standardized, and shareable data for critical decision making. This system could be adapted as complementary to national infectious disease reporting systems after natural disaster occurrences.