Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) in Malawi: Implementation gaps and challenges for timely alert

• Published in: PloS one 2018-11, Vol.13 (11), p.e0200858-e0200858
• Main Authors: Joseph Wu, Tsung-Shu, Kagoli, Matthew, Kaasbøll, Jens Johan, Bjune, Gunnar Aksel
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Analysis; Communicable Disease Control - methods; Completeness; Computer and Information Sciences; Data processing; Diagnosis; Disease Outbreaks; E-health; Ebola hemorrhagic fever; Ebola virus; Ebolavirus - isolation & purification; Electronic health records; Epidemics; Epidemiology; Health facilities; Health Information Systems; Health surveillance; Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola - epidemiology; Humans; Identification; Informatics; Information systems; Information technology; Informers; Infrastructure; Infrastructure (Economics); Malawi - epidemiology; Medical informatics; Medical records; Medicine and Health Sciences; Mixed methods research; Outbreaks; Palliative care; Pandemics; People and Places; Practice guidelines (Medicine); Public health; Public Health Surveillance - methods; Qualitative analysis; Risk factors; Social Sciences; Surveillance equipment; Swine flu; Systematic review; Technology; Viral diseases; Viruses
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0200858

The recent 2014 Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreaks rang the bell to call upon global efforts to assist resource-constrained countries to strengthen public health surveillance system for early response. Malawi adopted the Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) strategy to develop its national surveillance system since 2002 and revised its guideline to fulfill the International Health Regulation (IHR) requirements in 2014. This study aimed to understand the state of IDSR implementation and differences between guideline and practice for future disease surveillance system strengthening. This was a mixed-method research study. Quantitative data were to analyze completeness and timeliness of surveillance system performance from national District Health Information System 2 (DHIS2) during October 2014 to September 2016. Qualitative data were collected through interviews with 29 frontline health service providers from the selected district and 7 key informants of the IDSR system implementation and administration at district and national levels. The current IDSR system showed relatively good completeness (73.1%) but poor timeliness (40.2%) of total expected monthly reports nationwide and zero weekly reports during the study period. Major implementation gaps were lack of weekly report and trainings. The challenges of IDSR implementation revealed through qualitative data included case identification, compiling reports for timely submission and inadequate resources. The differences between IDSR technical guideline and actual practice were huge. The developing information technology infrastructure in Malawi and emerging mobile health (mHealth) technology can be opportunities for the country to overcome these challenges and improve surveillance system to have better timeliness for the outbreaks and unusual events detection.