Integrated digital system for community engagement and community-based surveillance during the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone: lessons for future health emergencies

Abstract

Community engagement and community-based surveillance are essential components of responding to infectious disease outbreaks, but real-time data reporting remains a challenge. In the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone, the Social Mobilisation Action Consortium was formed to scale-up structured, data-driven community engagement. The consortium became operational across all 14 districts and supported an expansive network of 2500 community mobilisers, 6000 faith leaders and 42 partner radio stations. The benefit of a more agile digital reporting system became apparent within few months of implementing paper-based reporting given the need to rapidly use the data to inform the fast-evolving epidemic. In this paper, we aim to document the design, deployment and implementation of a digital reporting system used in six high transmission districts. We highlight lessons learnt from our experience in scaling up the digital reporting system during an unprecedented public health crisis. The lessons learnt from our experience in Sierra Leone have important implications for designing and implementing similar digital reporting systems for community engagement and community-based surveillance during public health emergencies.

Keywords: public health; viral haemorrhagic fevers.

Figure 1

Conceptual framework for the Social Mobilisation Action Consortium (SMAC) ’s digital data collection system during the 2014–2016 Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone.

Figure 2

Number of daily real-time alerts on suspected Ebola patients and deaths needing response services submitted through the Textit platform, Social Mobilisation Action Consortium, Sierra Leone, March–December 2015.

Figure 3

Number of community engagement reports submitted weekly through Open Data Kit platform, Social Mobilisation Action Consortium, Sierra Leone, March–December 2015.