Information Systems for Emergency Diseases Emergency Response to the Covid-19 Pandemic - supporting global and national surveillance

During epidemics from emerging diseases, WHO guidelines and local circumstances change rapidly. Hence, information systems for operative health workers as well as epidemiological managers should change at the same speed. A consortium for supporting less developed countries with a COVID-19 information system, funded by NORAD, has been set up and is working with 40+ countries. The consortium delivers updated versions every week based on new requirements from the countries and WHO. The research project will generate knowledge on how a consortium can manage such rapid changes to be carried out effectively when there are thousands of end users, travel restrictions, a high performance pressure, and in countries where there is a shortage of skilled health workers, health information systems specialists, unstable electrical power and internet. The research will investigate the system and its development and change process in three countries; Ghana, Palestine and Sri Lanka, representing different cultural regions. The project will have partners in these countries. Also, the global consortium will be studied. The first evaluation will address all direct users with a survey and all members of national and global teams with qualitative interviews. Based on this data and computer logs, an assessment of the system and of the rapid development process will be carried out. Research papers and reports to the consortium and countries including recommendations for changes in the system and in the development process. will be written. This assessment will also be presented to the consortium national teams and selected users after 6 months. A repeated evaluation will take place month 12-18, and a second round of dissemination back to the developers and users will take place. Since no research of such rapid system development cycles has been found in the literature, the conclusions from two evaluations will constitute new knowledge.