scholarly journals Mobile Phones As Surveillance Tools: Implementing and Evaluating a Large-Scale Intersectoral Surveillance System for Rabies in Tanzania

PLoS Medicine ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. e1002002 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zacharia Mtema ◽  
Joel Changalucha ◽  
Sarah Cleaveland ◽  
Martin Elias ◽  
Heather M. Ferguson ◽  
...  
Author(s):  
Sylvain K. Cibangu ◽  
Mark Hepworth ◽  
Donna Champion

In recent years, the rise of information and communication technologies (ICTs) contrasted with the dire living conditions of the world's poorest has been the subject of debate among industry and academia. However, despite the amount of writings produced on mobile phones, Western bias is surprisingly unbridledly prevailing alongside the fêted dissemination of mobile phones. Expansive literature tends to present the rapid adoption of mobile phones among rural individuals, with little to no indication of how local values and voices are respected or promoted. We undertook semi-structured interviews with 16 rural chiefs to inquire into ways in which mobile phones enabled socio-economic development in the rural Congo. Rather than using quantitative, large-scale, or top-down data, we sought to give voice to chiefs themselves about the role of mobile phones. We found that Western bias dominates the literature and deployment of mobile phones more than usually acknowledged. We suggested some paths forward, while bringing the African communal Utu or Ubuntu culture to the center stage.


1992 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 384-391 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abraham G. Hartzema ◽  
Miquel S. Porta ◽  
Hugh H. Tilson ◽  
Carlos R. Herrera ◽  
Jeffrey T. Moss ◽  
...  

OBJECTIVE: To determine the feasibility of accurately assessing the types of hospital adverse drug reaction (ADR) surveillance systems. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey by mailed, self-administered questionnaire followed by selected verification interviews. SETTING: Harris County, Texas. PARTICIPANTS: All hospitals in the county with different pharmacy directors. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Self description of surveillance system and number of ADRs reported. RESULTS: Forty-nine of 61 hospitals (80 percent) responded to a questionnaire. Forty-seven (96 percent) of the responding hospitals collected information on ADRs with 11 (22 percent) describing their surveillance system as active. Those individuals most often cited as responsible for ADR surveillance included pharmacists, quality assurance personnel, and nurses. Data were verified by personal interviews for 10 hospitals. The number of ADRs reported during the interviews was significantly lower than that reported in the questionnaires. Overall, the reporting of fatal and severe ADRs were more reliable than the reporting of moderate ADRs. These differences were the result of inadequate documentation and the lack of a uniform definition of ADRs. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that a large-scale ongoing survey of surveillance systems and reported adverse event rates has limitations and the reliability of data derived from a questionnaire should be verified. To improve the accuracy of surveys used to monitor hospital ADR surveillance systems, it is essential to develop reliable definitions for classifying ADRs and surveillance methods, as well as accurate measures of ADR documentation procedures.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haripriya Mukundarajan ◽  
Felix J H Hol ◽  
Erica A Castillo ◽  
Cooper Newby ◽  
Manu Prakash

AbstractThe direct monitoring of mosquito populations in field settings is a crucial input for shaping appropriate and timely control measures for mosquito-borne diseases. Here, we demonstrate that commercially available mobile phones are a powerful tool for acoustically mapping mosquito species distributions worldwide. We show that even low-cost mobile phones with very basic functionality are capable of sensitively acquiring acoustic data on species-specific mosquito wingbeat sounds, while simultaneously recording the time and location of the human-mosquito encounter. We survey a wide range of medically important mosquito species, to quantitatively demonstrate how acoustic recordings supported by spatio-temporal metadata enable rapid, non-invasive species identification. As proof-of-concept, we carry out field demonstrations where minimally-trained users map local mosquitoes using their personal phones. Thus, we establish a new paradigm for mosquito surveillance that takes advantage of the existing global mobile network infrastructure, to enable continuous and large-scale data acquisition in resource-constrained areas.


NEJM Catalyst ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Katy Mahraj ◽  
Krisda H. Chaiyachati ◽  
David A. Asch ◽  
Glenn Fala ◽  
David Do ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Masaharu Ueda ◽  
Yasushi Ashida ◽  
Hiromitsu Nomura

Author(s):  
Amy Wesolowski ◽  
Nathan Eagle

The worldwide adoption of mobile phones is providing researchers with an unprecedented opportunity to utilize large-scale data to better understand human behavior. This chapter highlights the potential use of mobile phone data to better understand the dynamics driving slums in Kenya. Given slum dwellers informal and transient lifetimes (in terms of places of employment, living situations, etc.), comprehensive longitude behavioral data sets are rare. Working with communication and location data from Kenya’s leading mobile phone operator, the authors use mobile phone data as a window into the social, mobile, and economic dimensions of slum dwellers. The authors address questions about the functionality of slums in urban areas in terms of economic, social, and migratory dynamics. In particular, the authors discuss economic mobility in slums, the importance of social networks, and the connectivity between slums and other urban areas. With four years until the 2015 deadline to meet the Millennium Development Goals, including the goal to improve the lives of slum dwellers worldwide, there is a great need for tools to make development and urban planning decisions more beneficial and precise.


Author(s):  
C. El Morr

The adoption of mobile phone technology on a large scale in today’s societies turned mobile phones into a universal tool. Phone companies are deploying 3G mobile technology and planning for 4G; nevertheless, the “killer” applications are yet to be developed. Meanwhile, mobile virtual communities (MVCs) are emerging, and their applications are diverse: they range from education, to entertainment and lifestyle. Our vision is that mobile virtual communities will be a major trend and could create a momentum for 3G and 4G mobile phone applications. In this article we analyze the different types of mobile virtual communities, and we draw some research perspectives and applications.


2021 ◽  
pp. 287-296
Author(s):  
Peter Katona

History shows us that individuals have used and likely will continue to use biological agents for terrorism purposes. Bioterrorism agents can be easily disseminated, cause severe disease and high mortality rates if cases are not treated properly, and pose significant challenges for management and response. A robust public health surveillance system that includes laboratory (including routine reportable disease surveillance), syndromic, and environmental surveillance is crucial for detection of the release of a bioterrorism agent and the resulting cases. This detection can then set into motion a robust and comprehensive public health response to minimize morbidity and mortality. A large-scale bioterrorism event would be unprecedented, straining and challenging every facet of medical and public health response and would quickly become a global emergency because of both the potential risk of infection and the shock to the global economy. A robust public health and medical workforce is necessary to respond effectively and efficiently to these types of events.


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