Leveraging interactive voice response technology to mitigate COVID-19 risk in refugee settlements in Uganda: Lessons learned implementing "Dial-COVID" a toll-free mobile phone symptom surveillance and information dissemination tool.
<h4>Background</h4>Persons living in refugee settlements in sub-Saharan Africa may be at increased risk for COVID-19 and experience barriers to accessing COVID-19 information. We aimed to evaluate the implementation of "Dial-COVID" a multi-lingual, toll free, telephone platform...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2023-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0279373 |
| _version_ | 1797942963451461632 |
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| author | Robin E Klabbers Timothy R Muwonge Phuong Pham Andrew Mujugira Patrick Vinck Sukanya Borthakur Monisha Sharma Numan Mohammed Rosalind Parkes-Ratanshi Connie Celum Kelli N O'Laughlin |
| author_facet | Robin E Klabbers Timothy R Muwonge Phuong Pham Andrew Mujugira Patrick Vinck Sukanya Borthakur Monisha Sharma Numan Mohammed Rosalind Parkes-Ratanshi Connie Celum Kelli N O'Laughlin |
| author_sort | Robin E Klabbers |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <h4>Background</h4>Persons living in refugee settlements in sub-Saharan Africa may be at increased risk for COVID-19 and experience barriers to accessing COVID-19 information. We aimed to evaluate the implementation of "Dial-COVID" a multi-lingual, toll free, telephone platform that uses interactive voice response (IVR) to track COVID-19 symptoms/exposure and disseminate COVID-19 health information in refugee settlements in Uganda. We hypothesized that IVR could provide an alternative way to screen for COVID-19 and communicate public health information to humanitarian populations when physical access and testing capacity were limited.<h4>Methods</h4>The Dial-COVID IVR platform was created in ten languages and advertised by community health workers in refugee settlements for participants to call into toll free. In a recorded IVR symptom survey, participants were screened for COVID-19 symptoms/exposures and based on their responses, received tailored public health messages about COVID-19 risk mitigation in accordance with Uganda Ministry of Health guidelines. Here we report the challenges and lessons learned implementing this research during the pandemic.<h4>Results</h4>Between February 2021 and March 2022, 15,465 calls were received by the Dial-COVID platform from all 31 refugee settlements in Uganda through which 6,913 symptom surveys were completed and 10,411 public health messages were disseminated in all study languages. Uptake of Dial-COVID fluctuated with the national COVID-19 caseload and was impacted by phone ownership and connectivity in refugee settlements. Intensified advertising efforts promoted Dial-COVID uptake. Flexibility to adapt IVR messages was contingent on translation capacity.<h4>Conclusion</h4>Refugees living in refugee settlements across Uganda accessed Dial-COVID to share and obtain COVID-19 information suggesting that IVR holds potential for rapid information dissemination and screening of humanitarian populations during future infectious disease outbreaks and may be a valuable tool for routine public health programs. IVR adaptation flexibility and reach are influenced by language constraints and by contextual factors related to platform access.<h4>Registration details</h4>World Pandemic Research Network- 490652. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T20:15:48Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-97d5ecb3f7f64b3dba1fab35677da45b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T20:15:48Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-97d5ecb3f7f64b3dba1fab35677da45b2023-01-26T05:31:57ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032023-01-01181e027937310.1371/journal.pone.0279373Leveraging interactive voice response technology to mitigate COVID-19 risk in refugee settlements in Uganda: Lessons learned implementing "Dial-COVID" a toll-free mobile phone symptom surveillance and information dissemination tool.Robin E KlabbersTimothy R MuwongePhuong PhamAndrew MujugiraPatrick VinckSukanya BorthakurMonisha SharmaNuman MohammedRosalind Parkes-RatanshiConnie CelumKelli N O'Laughlin<h4>Background</h4>Persons living in refugee settlements in sub-Saharan Africa may be at increased risk for COVID-19 and experience barriers to accessing COVID-19 information. We aimed to evaluate the implementation of "Dial-COVID" a multi-lingual, toll free, telephone platform that uses interactive voice response (IVR) to track COVID-19 symptoms/exposure and disseminate COVID-19 health information in refugee settlements in Uganda. We hypothesized that IVR could provide an alternative way to screen for COVID-19 and communicate public health information to humanitarian populations when physical access and testing capacity were limited.<h4>Methods</h4>The Dial-COVID IVR platform was created in ten languages and advertised by community health workers in refugee settlements for participants to call into toll free. In a recorded IVR symptom survey, participants were screened for COVID-19 symptoms/exposures and based on their responses, received tailored public health messages about COVID-19 risk mitigation in accordance with Uganda Ministry of Health guidelines. Here we report the challenges and lessons learned implementing this research during the pandemic.<h4>Results</h4>Between February 2021 and March 2022, 15,465 calls were received by the Dial-COVID platform from all 31 refugee settlements in Uganda through which 6,913 symptom surveys were completed and 10,411 public health messages were disseminated in all study languages. Uptake of Dial-COVID fluctuated with the national COVID-19 caseload and was impacted by phone ownership and connectivity in refugee settlements. Intensified advertising efforts promoted Dial-COVID uptake. Flexibility to adapt IVR messages was contingent on translation capacity.<h4>Conclusion</h4>Refugees living in refugee settlements across Uganda accessed Dial-COVID to share and obtain COVID-19 information suggesting that IVR holds potential for rapid information dissemination and screening of humanitarian populations during future infectious disease outbreaks and may be a valuable tool for routine public health programs. IVR adaptation flexibility and reach are influenced by language constraints and by contextual factors related to platform access.<h4>Registration details</h4>World Pandemic Research Network- 490652.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0279373 |
| spellingShingle | Robin E Klabbers Timothy R Muwonge Phuong Pham Andrew Mujugira Patrick Vinck Sukanya Borthakur Monisha Sharma Numan Mohammed Rosalind Parkes-Ratanshi Connie Celum Kelli N O'Laughlin Leveraging interactive voice response technology to mitigate COVID-19 risk in refugee settlements in Uganda: Lessons learned implementing "Dial-COVID" a toll-free mobile phone symptom surveillance and information dissemination tool. PLoS ONE |
| title | Leveraging interactive voice response technology to mitigate COVID-19 risk in refugee settlements in Uganda: Lessons learned implementing "Dial-COVID" a toll-free mobile phone symptom surveillance and information dissemination tool. |
| title_full | Leveraging interactive voice response technology to mitigate COVID-19 risk in refugee settlements in Uganda: Lessons learned implementing "Dial-COVID" a toll-free mobile phone symptom surveillance and information dissemination tool. |
| title_fullStr | Leveraging interactive voice response technology to mitigate COVID-19 risk in refugee settlements in Uganda: Lessons learned implementing "Dial-COVID" a toll-free mobile phone symptom surveillance and information dissemination tool. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Leveraging interactive voice response technology to mitigate COVID-19 risk in refugee settlements in Uganda: Lessons learned implementing "Dial-COVID" a toll-free mobile phone symptom surveillance and information dissemination tool. |
| title_short | Leveraging interactive voice response technology to mitigate COVID-19 risk in refugee settlements in Uganda: Lessons learned implementing "Dial-COVID" a toll-free mobile phone symptom surveillance and information dissemination tool. |
| title_sort | leveraging interactive voice response technology to mitigate covid 19 risk in refugee settlements in uganda lessons learned implementing dial covid a toll free mobile phone symptom surveillance and information dissemination tool |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0279373 |
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