This abstract has been accepted at the 2024 DHIS2 Annual Conference
Modernizing vaccine-preventable disease surveillance in the Americas: Progress on the transition to a District Health Information System 2 (DHIS2) regional information system
Vaccine preventable disease surveillance (VPDS) has been conducted in the Americas by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) for more than 30 years, with most countries reporting through a proprietary software, ISIS. PAHO is currently in the process of modernizing regional level vaccine preventable disease surveillance by transitioning to a District Health Information System 2 (DHIS2) based information system. This work is led by PAHO and supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the University of Oslo, and Health Information Systems Program (HISP) Colombia with the goal of improving reporting and updating data management, validation, and analyses for vaccine preventable disease control. This presentation, with information collected via provision of technical assistance to PAHO and review of DHIS2 system documentation, will describe the process, progress, and next steps for regional level DHIS2 system configuration and roll out with countries planned for 2024. The new DHIS2 system is being initially developed for Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP) and Measles/Rubella (MR) surveillance and includes interoperable epidemiological case and laboratory modules. The transition will facilitate the transfer of surveillance data from 20 countries currently reporting through ISIS to the DHIS2 platform. Although not all PAHO countries will transition to DHIS2, PAHO will ensure interoperability of data from countries that utilize alternative systems and develop methods to automatically integrate all data at the regional level into PAHO’s data warehouse. Currently, PAHO has completed DHIS2 configuration and integration into their existing data warehouse and is completing the migration of historical data and an update to the VPDS reports to be routinely published from weekly data. PAHO is currently conducting a series of user acceptance testing (UAT) workshops with Ministry of Health staff from ten countries who will represent the first to transition to the new system and regional level PAHO advisors. During UAT workshops, participants enter mock data into a non production version of the DHIS2 system and provide review; feedback is then used to improve the clarity of the data entry flow and interoperability between case and laboratory modules, more closely align data fields with country specific surveillance fields and improve data quality control. Paraguay is the initial country selected for implementation of the regional DHIS2 system for AFP and MR surveillance, with a pilot in February 2024. The transition process to DHIS2 in the Americas region can act as a model for other World Health Organization regions that may transition to DHIS2.
Primary Author: Talya Shragai
Keywords:
Vaccine-preventable disease surveillance, Polio, Congenital Rubella Syndrome, AFP, MR, Measles, Rubella, Americas, regional-level reporting, implementation process
2 Likes