scholarly journals Mechanisms and Contextual Factors Affecting the Implementation of Animal Health Surveillance in Tanzania: A Process Evaluation

2022 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janeth George ◽  
Barbara Häsler ◽  
Erick V. G. Komba ◽  
Mark Rweyemamu ◽  
Sharadhuli I. Kimera ◽  
...  

A strong animal health surveillance system is an essential determinant of the health of animal and human population. To ensure its functionality and performance, it needs to be evaluated regularly. Therefore, a process evaluation was conducted in this study to assess animal health surveillance processes, mechanisms and the contextual factors which facilitate or hinder uptake, implementation and sustainability of the system in Tanzania. A mixed-method study design was used to evaluate the national animal health surveillance system guided by a framework for process evaluation of complex interventions developed by Moore and others. The system was assessed against standard guidelines and procedures using the following attributes: fidelity, adherence, exposure, satisfaction, participation rate, recruitment and context. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected using a cross-sectional survey, key informant interviews, document review, site visits and non-participant observation. Data from questionnaires were downloaded, cleaned and analyzed in Microsoft™ Excel. Qualitative data were analyzed following deductive thematic and content analysis methods. Fidelity attribute showed that case identification is mainly based on clinical signs due to limited laboratory services for confirmation. Data collection was not well-coordinated and there were multiple disparate reporting channels. Adherence in terms of the proportion of reports submitted per month was only 61% of the target. District-level animal health officials spent an average of 60% of their weekly time on surveillance-related activities, but only 12% of them were satisfied with the surveillance system. Their dissatisfaction was caused by large area coverage with little to no facilitation, poor communication, and lack of a supporting system. The cost of surveillance data was found to be 1.4 times higher than the annual surveillance budget. The timeliness of the system ranged between 0 and 153 days from the observation date (median = 2 days, mean = 6 days). The study pointed out some deviations in animal health surveillance processes from the standard guidelines and their implication on the system's performance. The system could be improved by developing a user-friendly unified reporting system, the active involvement of subnational level animal health officials, optimization of data sources and an increase in the horizon of the financing mechanism.

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Janeth George ◽  
Barbara Häsler ◽  
Erick Komba ◽  
Calvin Sindato ◽  
Mark Rweyemamu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Effective animal health surveillance systems require reliable, high-quality, and timely data for decision making. In Tanzania, the animal health surveillance system has been relying on a few data sources, which suffer from delays in reporting, underreporting, and high cost of data collection and transmission. The integration of data from multiple sources can enhance early detection and response to animal diseases and facilitate the early control of outbreaks. This study aimed to identify and assess existing and potential data sources for the animal health surveillance system in Tanzania and how they can be better used for early warning surveillance. The study used a mixed-method design to identify and assess data sources. Data were collected through document reviews, internet search, cross-sectional survey, key informant interviews, site visits, and non-participant observation. The assessment was done using pre-defined criteria. Results A total of 13 data sources were identified and assessed. Most surveillance data came from livestock farmers, slaughter facilities, and livestock markets; while animal dip sites were the least used sources. Commercial farms and veterinary shops, electronic surveillance tools like AfyaData and Event Mobile Application (EMA-i) and information systems such as the Tanzania National Livestock Identification and Traceability System (TANLITS) and Agricultural Routine Data System (ARDS) show potential to generate relevant data for the national animal health surveillance system. The common variables found across most sources were: the name of the place (12/13), animal type/species (12/13), syndromes (10/13) and number of affected animals (8/13). The majority of the sources had good surveillance data contents and were accessible with medium to maximum spatial coverage. However, there was significant variation in terms of data frequency, accuracy and cost. There were limited integration and coordination of data flow from the identified sources with minimum to non-existing automated data entry and transmission. Conclusion The study demonstrated how the available data sources have great potential for early warning surveillance in Tanzania. Both existing and potential data sources had complementary strengths and weaknesses; a multi-source surveillance system would be best placed to harness these different strengths.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janeth George ◽  
Barbara Häsler ◽  
Erick Komba ◽  
Calvin Sindato ◽  
Mark Rweyemamu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Effective animal health surveillance systems require reliable, quality, and timely data for decision-making. The animal health surveillance system in Tanzania has been relying on a few data sources, which suffer from delays in reporting, underreporting, and high cost of data collection and transmission. The integration of data from multiple sources can enhance early detection and response to animal diseases and consequently facilitate the early control of outbreaks. The study aimed to identify and assess the existing and potential data sources for animal health surveillance system in Tanzania and how they can better be used for early warning surveillance. The study used mixed-method design to identify and assess data sources. Data were collected through document reviews, internet search, cross-sectional survey, key informant interviews, site visits, and non-participant observation. The assessment was done using pre-defined criteria.Results: A total of 13 data sources were identified and assessed. Most surveillance data came from livestock farmers, slaughter facilities, and livestock markets, while animal dip sites were the least used sources. Commercial farms and veterinary shops, electronic surveillance tools like AfyaData and Event Mobile Application (EMA-i) and information systems such as Tanzania National Livestock Identification and Traceability System (TANLITS) and Agricultural Routine Data System (ARDS) show potential to generate relevant data for the national animal health surveillance system. The common variables found across most sources were: the name of the place (12/13), animal type/species (12/13), syndromes (10/13) and number of affected animals (8/13). The majority of the sources had good surveillance data contents and were accessible with medium to maximum spatial coverage. However, there was significant variation in terms of data frequency, accuracy and cost. There were limited integration and coordination of data flow from the identified sources with minimum to non-automated data entry and transmission. Conclusion: The study demonstrated how the available data sources have great potential for early warning surveillance in Tanzania. Both existing and potential data sources had complementary strengths and weaknesses; a multi-source surveillance system would be best placed to harness these different strengths.


Trials ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Siobhan Wong ◽  
Leanne Hassett ◽  
Harriet Koorts ◽  
Anne Grunseit ◽  
Allison Tong ◽  
...  

Abstract Background There is currently little evidence of planning for real-world implementation of physical activity interventions. We are undertaking the ComeBACK (Coaching and Exercise for Better Walking) study, a 3-arm hybrid Type 1 randomised controlled trial evaluating a health coaching intervention and a text messaging intervention. We used an implementation planning framework, the PRACTical planning for Implementation and Scale-up (PRACTIS), to guide the process evaluation for the trial. The aim of this paper is to describe the protocol for the process evaluation of the ComeBACK trial using the framework of the PRACTIS guide. Methods A mixed methods process evaluation protocol was developed informed by the Medical Research Council (MRC) guidance on process evaluations for complex interventions and the PRACTIS guide. Quantitative data, including participant questionnaires, health coach and administrative logbooks, and website and text message usage data, is being collected over the trial period. Semi-structured interviews and focus groups with trial participants, health coaches and health service stakeholders will explore expectations, factors influencing the delivery of the ComeBACK interventions and potential scalability within existing health services. These data will be mapped against the steps of the PRACTIS guide, with reporting at the level of the individual, provider, organisational and community/systems. Quantitative and qualitative data will elicit potential contextual barriers and facilitators to implementation and scale-up. Quantitative data will be reported descriptively, and qualitative data analysed thematically. Discussion This process evaluation integrates an evaluation of prospective implementation and scale-up. It is envisaged this will inform barriers and enablers to future delivery, implementation and scale-up of physical activity interventions. To our knowledge, this is the first paper to describe the application of PRACTIS to guide the process evaluation of physical activity interventions. Trial registration Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR) Registration date: 10/12/2018.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kareem Khan ◽  
Chris Hollis ◽  
Charlotte L Hall ◽  
E Bethan Davies ◽  
David Mataix-Cols ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Process evaluations are an important component in the interpretation and understanding of outcomes in trials. The ‘Online Remote Behavioural Intervention for Tics’ (ORBIT) study is a randomized controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness of an internet delivered behavioural intervention (called BIP TIC) compared to an internet delivered education program aimed at children and young people with tics. A process evaluation will be undertaken alongside the main trial to determine precisely how the behavioural intervention works and ascertain whether, and if so, how, the intervention could be successfully implemented in standard clinical practice. This protocol paper describes the rationale, aims, and methodology of the ORBIT trial process evaluation. Methods The process evaluation will use a mixed-methods design following the UK Medical Research Council’s 2015 guidelines, comprising of both quantitative and qualitative data collection. This will include: analyzing data usage of participants in the intervention arm; purposively sampled, semi-structured interviews of parents and children, therapists and supervisors, and referring clinicians of the ORBIT trial, as well as analysis of qualitative comments input into the online therapy platform by participants at the end of treatment. Qualitative data will be analyzed thematically. Quantitative and qualitative data will be integrated in a triangulation approach, to provide an understanding of how the intervention works, and what resources are needed for effective implementation, uptake and use in routine clinical care. Discussion This process evaluation will explore the experiences of participants, therapists and supervisors, and referring clinicians of a complex online intervention. By contextualising trial efficacy results, this will help understand how and if the intervention worked and what may be required to sustain the implementation of the treatment long-term. The findings will also aid in our understanding of factors that can affect the success of complex interventions. This will enable future researchers developing online behavioural interventions for children and young people with mental health and neurological disorders to gain invaluable information from this process evaluation.


2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 201-207
Author(s):  
Tiana A. Garrett-Cherry ◽  
Andrew K. Hennenfent ◽  
Sasha McGee ◽  
John Davies-Cole

ABSTRACTObjective:In January 2017, Washington, DC, hosted the 58th United States presidential inauguration. The DC Department of Health leveraged multiple health surveillance approaches, including syndromic surveillance (human and animal) and medical aid station–based patient tracking, to detect disease and injury associated with this mass gathering.Methods:Patient data were collected from a regional syndromic surveillance system, medical aid stations, and an internet-based emergency department reporting system. Animal health data were collected from DC veterinary facilities.Results:Of 174 703 chief complaints from human syndromic data, there were 6 inauguration-related alerts. Inauguration attendees who visited aid stations (n = 162) and emergency departments (n = 180) most commonly reported feeling faint/dizzy (n = 29; 17.9%) and pain/cramps (n = 34;18.9%). In animals, of 533 clinical signs reported, most were gastrointestinal (n = 237; 44.5%) and occurred in canines (n = 374; 70.2%). Ten animals that presented dead on arrival were investigated; no significant threats were identified.Conclusion:Use of multiple surveillance systems allowed for near-real-time detection and monitoring of disease and injury syndromes in humans and domestic animals potentially associated with inaugural events and in local health care systems.


Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 742
Author(s):  
Jarunee Siengsanan-Lamont ◽  
Bounlom Douangngeun ◽  
Watthana Theppangna ◽  
Syseng Khounsy ◽  
Phouvong Phommachanh ◽  
...  

Although animal health surveillance programmes are useful for gaining information to help improve global health and food security, these programmes can be challenging to establish in developing economies with a low-resource base. This study focused on establishing a national surveillance system initiated by the Lao PDR government using a passive surveillance system of abattoir samples as a pilot model, and to gain information on contagious zoonoses, particularly Q fever and brucellosis, in the large ruminant population. A total of 683 cattle and buffalo samples were collected from six selected provinces of Lao PDR between March–December 2019. Out of 271 samples tested, six samples (2.2%, 95% confidence interval (CI) of 1.0, 4.8) were positive in the Q fever antibody ELISA test. Only one sample (out of 683; 0.2%, 95% CI 0.0, 0.8) tested positive to the Brucella antibody ELISA test. Seroprevalence of these important zoonoses in Lao PDR were relatively low in cattle and buffaloes; however, extensive animal movement within the country was identified which could increase risks of spreading transboundary diseases. The study highlights the importance of ongoing animal health surveillance and the need to find cost-effective approaches for its long-term sustainability.


2019 ◽  
Vol 374 (1782) ◽  
pp. 20190020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel M. Thumbi ◽  
M. Kariuki Njenga ◽  
Elkanah Otiang ◽  
Linus Otieno ◽  
Peninah Munyua ◽  
...  

Improving the speed of outbreak detection and reporting at the community level are critical in managing the threat of emerging infectious diseases, many of which are zoonotic. The widespread use of mobile phones, including in rural areas, constitutes a potentially effective tool for real-time surveillance of infectious diseases. Using longitudinal data from a disease surveillance system implemented in 1500 households in rural Kenya, we test the effectiveness of mobile phone animal syndromic surveillance by comparing it with routine household animal health surveys, determine the individual and household correlates of its use and examine the broader implications for surveillance of zoonotic diseases. A total of 20 340 animal and death events were reported from the community through the two surveillance systems, half of which were confirmed as valid disease events. The probability of an event being valid was 2.1 times greater for the phone-based system, compared with the household visits. Illness events were 15 times (95% CI 12.8, 17.1) more likely to be reported through the phone system compared to routine household visits, but not death events (OR 0.1 (95% CI 0.09, 0.11)). Disease syndromes with severe presentations were more likely to be reported through the phone system. While controlling for herd and flock sizes owned, phone ownership was not a determinant of using the phone-based surveillance system, but the lack of a formal education, and having additional sources of income besides farming were associated with decreased likelihood of reporting through the phone system. Our study suggests that a phone-based surveillance system will be effective at detecting outbreaks of diseases such as Rift Valley fever that present with severe clinical signs in animal populations, but in the absence of additional reporting incentives, it may miss early outbreaks of diseases such as avian influenza that present primarily with mortality. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Dynamic and integrative approaches to understanding pathogen spillover’.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kareem Khan ◽  
Chris Hollis ◽  
Charlotte L Hall ◽  
E Bethan Davies ◽  
David Mataix-Cols ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Process evaluations are an important component in the interpretation and understanding of outcomes in trials. The ‘Online Remote Behavioural Intervention for Tics’ (ORBIT) study is a randomized controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness of an internet delivered behavioural intervention (called BIP TIC) compared to an internet delivered education program aimed at children and young people with tics. A process evaluation will be undertaken alongside the main trial to determine precisely how the behavioural intervention works and ascertain whether, and if so, how, the intervention could be successfully implemented in standard clinical practice. This protocol paper describes the rationale, aims, and methodology of the ORBIT trial process evaluation. Methods The process evaluation will use a mixed-methods design following the UK Medical Research Council’s 2015 guidelines, comprising of both quantitative and qualitative data collection. This will include: analyzing data usage of participants in the intervention arm; purposively sampled, semi-structured interviews of parents and children, therapists and supervisors, and referring clinicians of the ORBIT trial, as well as analysis of qualitative comments input into the online therapy platform by participants at the end of treatment. Qualitative data will be analyzed thematically. Quantitative and qualitative data will be integrated in a triangulation approach, to provide an understanding of how the intervention works, and what resources are needed for effective implementation, uptake and use in routine clinical care. Discussion This process evaluation will explore the experiences of participants, therapists and supervisors, and referring clinicians of a complex online intervention. By contextualising trial efficacy results, this will help understand how and if the intervention worked and what may be required to sustain the implementation of the treatment long-term. The findings will also aid in our understanding of factors that can affect the success of complex interventions. This will enable future researchers developing online behavioural interventions for children and young people with mental health and neurological disorders to gain invaluable information from this process evaluation.


2011 ◽  
Vol 140 (4) ◽  
pp. 575-590 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. A. DREWE ◽  
L. J. HOINVILLE ◽  
A. J. C. COOK ◽  
T. FLOYD ◽  
K. D. C. STÄRK

SUMMARYDisease surveillance programmes ought to be evaluated regularly to ensure they provide valuable information in an efficient manner. Evaluation of human and animal health surveillance programmes around the world is currently not standardized and therefore inconsistent. The aim of this systematic review was to review surveillance system attributes and the methods used for their assessment, together with the strengths and weaknesses of existing frameworks for evaluating surveillance in animal health, public health and allied disciplines. Information from 99 articles describing the evaluation of 101 surveillance systems was examined. A wide range of approaches for assessing 23 different system attributes was identified although most evaluations addressed only one or two attributes and comprehensive evaluations were uncommon. Surveillance objectives were often not stated in the articles reviewed and so the reasons for choosing certain attributes for assessment were not always apparent. This has the potential to introduce misleading results in surveillance evaluation. Due to the wide range of system attributes that may be assessed, methods should be explored which collapse these down into a small number of grouped characteristics by focusing on the relationships between attributes and their links to the objectives of the surveillance system and the evaluation. A generic and comprehensive evaluation framework could then be developed consisting of a limited number of common attributes together with several sets of secondary attributes which could be selected depending on the disease or range of diseases under surveillance and the purpose of the surveillance. Economic evaluation should be an integral part of the surveillance evaluation process. This would provide a significant benefit to decision-makers who often need to make choices based on limited or diminishing resources.


Author(s):  
Francisco Bezerra de Carvalho ◽  
Franco Zanandreis ◽  
Clayton Bernardinelli Gitti

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