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Bhowmick I, Chutia D, Chouhan A, Nishant N, Raju P, Narain K, Kaur H, Pebam R, Debnath J, Tripura R, Gogoi K, Ch. Nag S, Nath A, Tripathy D, Debbarma J, Das N, Sarkar U, Debbarma R, Roy R, Debnath B, Dasgupta D, Debbarma S, Tripura K, Reang G, Sharma A, Rahi M, Chhibber-Goel J
Validation of a Mobile Health Technology Platform (FeverTracker) for Malaria Surveillance in India: Development and Usability Study
FeverTracker: validation of an mHealth technology platform for malaria surveillance in India
Ipsita Bhowmick;
Dibyajyoti Chutia;
Avinash Chouhan;
Nilay Nishant;
PLN Raju;
Kanwar Narain;
Harpreet Kaur;
Rocky Pebam;
Jayanta Debnath;
Rabindra Tripura;
Kongkona Gogoi;
Suman Ch. Nag;
Aatreyee Nath;
Debabrata Tripathy;
Jotish Debbarma;
Nirapada Das;
Ujjwal Sarkar;
Rislyn Debbarma;
Rajashree Roy;
Bishal Debnath;
Dipanjan Dasgupta;
Suraj Debbarma;
Kamaljoy Tripura;
Guneram Reang;
Amit Sharma;
Manju Rahi;
Jyoti Chhibber-Goel
ABSTRACT
Background:
The foundation of disease prevention and control is the surveillance system. Malaria surveillance is crucial for tracking regional and temporal patterns in disease incidence, assisting in recorded details, timely reporting and frequency of analysis.
Objective:
In this work, we have developed an integrated surveillance graphical app called ‘FeverTracker’ that has been designed to assist the community and the healthcare workers in digital surveillance and thereby contribute towards malaria control and elimination.
Methods:
FeverTracker utilizes geographic information system (GIS) and is linked to a web application with automated data digitization, Short Message Service (SMS) and advisory instructions, thereby allowing immediate notification of individual cases to district and state health authorities in real-time.
Results:
The utility of FeverTracker for malaria surveillance is evident given the archaic paper-based surveillance tools used currently. The use of the app in 19 tribal villages of the Dhalai district in Tripura, India assisted in the surveillance of 1880 suspected malaria patients and we were able to confirm malaria infection in 114 (P. falciparum), 6 (P. vivax) and 2 cases (P. falciparum/P. vivax mixed-infection). Digital tools like FeverTracker will be critical in integrating disease surveillance and they offer instant data digitization for downstream processing.
Conclusions:
The use of this technology in healthcare and research will strengthen the ongoing efforts at malaria elimination, and FeverTracker provides a modifiable template for deployment in other disease systems. Clinical Trial: Not applicable
Citation
Please cite as:
Bhowmick I, Chutia D, Chouhan A, Nishant N, Raju P, Narain K, Kaur H, Pebam R, Debnath J, Tripura R, Gogoi K, Ch. Nag S, Nath A, Tripathy D, Debbarma J, Das N, Sarkar U, Debbarma R, Roy R, Debnath B, Dasgupta D, Debbarma S, Tripura K, Reang G, Sharma A, Rahi M, Chhibber-Goel J
Validation of a Mobile Health Technology Platform (FeverTracker) for Malaria Surveillance in India: Development and Usability Study