An interactive national digital surveillance system to fight against COVID-19 in Bangladesh
BackgroundCOVID-19 has affected many people globally, including in Bangladesh. Due to a lack of preparedness and resources, Bangladesh has experienced a catastrophic health crisis, and the devastation caused by this deadly virus has not yet been halted. Hence, precise and rapid diagnostics and infec...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-05-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Digital Health |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fdgth.2023.1059446/full |
| _version_ | 1797829300805697536 |
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| author | Farhana Sarker Farhana Sarker Moinul H. Chowdhury Ishrak Jahan Ratul Shariful Islam Khondaker A. Mamun Khondaker A. Mamun Khondaker A. Mamun |
| author_facet | Farhana Sarker Farhana Sarker Moinul H. Chowdhury Ishrak Jahan Ratul Shariful Islam Khondaker A. Mamun Khondaker A. Mamun Khondaker A. Mamun |
| author_sort | Farhana Sarker |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | BackgroundCOVID-19 has affected many people globally, including in Bangladesh. Due to a lack of preparedness and resources, Bangladesh has experienced a catastrophic health crisis, and the devastation caused by this deadly virus has not yet been halted. Hence, precise and rapid diagnostics and infection tracing are essential for managing the condition and limiting its spread. The conventional screening procedure, such as reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), is not available in most rural areas and is time-consuming. Therefore, a data-driven intelligent surveillance system can be advantageous for rapid COVID-19 screening and risk estimation.ObjectivesThis study describes the design, development, implementation, and characteristics of a nationwide web-based surveillance system for educating, screening, and tracking COVID-19 at the community level in Bangladesh.MethodsThe system consists of a mobile phone application and a cloud server. The data is collected by community health professionals via home visits or telephone calls and analyzed using rule-based artificial intelligence (AI). Depending on the results of the screening procedure, a further decision is made regarding the patient. This digital surveillance system in Bangladesh provides a platform to support government and non-government organizations, including health workers and healthcare facilities, in identifying patients at risk of COVID-19. It refers people to the nearest government healthcare facility, collecting and testing samples, tracking and tracing positive cases, following up with patients, and documenting patient outcomes.ResultsThis study began in April 2020, and the results are provided in this paper till December 2022. The system has successfully completed 1,980,323 screenings. Our rule-based AI model categorized them into five separate risk groups based on the acquired patient information. According to the data, around 51% of the overall screened populations are safe, 35% are low risk, 9% are high risk, 4% are mid risk, and the remaining 1% is very high risk. The dashboard integrates all collected data from around the nation onto a single platform.ConclusionThis screening can help the symptomatic patient take immediate action, such as isolation or hospitalization, depending on the severity. This surveillance system can also be utilized for risk mapping, planning, and allocating health resources to more vulnerable areas to reduce the virus's severity. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T13:19:18Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-cfa4c63b29bf4727865fba77bed96afa |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2673-253X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T13:19:18Z |
| publishDate | 2023-05-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Digital Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-cfa4c63b29bf4727865fba77bed96afa2023-05-11T11:20:45ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Digital Health2673-253X2023-05-01510.3389/fdgth.2023.10594461059446An interactive national digital surveillance system to fight against COVID-19 in BangladeshFarhana Sarker0Farhana Sarker1Moinul H. Chowdhury2Ishrak Jahan Ratul3Shariful Islam4Khondaker A. Mamun5Khondaker A. Mamun6Khondaker A. Mamun7CMED Health Ltd., Dhaka, BangladeshDepartment of CSE, University of Liberal Arts, Dhaka, BangladeshCMED Health Ltd., Dhaka, BangladeshAdvanced Intelligent Multidisciplinary Systems Lab (AIMS Lab), United International University, Dhaka, BangladeshSchool of Exercise & Nutrition Sciences, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Burwood, VIC, AustraliaCMED Health Ltd., Dhaka, BangladeshAdvanced Intelligent Multidisciplinary Systems Lab (AIMS Lab), United International University, Dhaka, BangladeshDepartment of CSE, United International University, Dhaka, BangladeshBackgroundCOVID-19 has affected many people globally, including in Bangladesh. Due to a lack of preparedness and resources, Bangladesh has experienced a catastrophic health crisis, and the devastation caused by this deadly virus has not yet been halted. Hence, precise and rapid diagnostics and infection tracing are essential for managing the condition and limiting its spread. The conventional screening procedure, such as reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), is not available in most rural areas and is time-consuming. Therefore, a data-driven intelligent surveillance system can be advantageous for rapid COVID-19 screening and risk estimation.ObjectivesThis study describes the design, development, implementation, and characteristics of a nationwide web-based surveillance system for educating, screening, and tracking COVID-19 at the community level in Bangladesh.MethodsThe system consists of a mobile phone application and a cloud server. The data is collected by community health professionals via home visits or telephone calls and analyzed using rule-based artificial intelligence (AI). Depending on the results of the screening procedure, a further decision is made regarding the patient. This digital surveillance system in Bangladesh provides a platform to support government and non-government organizations, including health workers and healthcare facilities, in identifying patients at risk of COVID-19. It refers people to the nearest government healthcare facility, collecting and testing samples, tracking and tracing positive cases, following up with patients, and documenting patient outcomes.ResultsThis study began in April 2020, and the results are provided in this paper till December 2022. The system has successfully completed 1,980,323 screenings. Our rule-based AI model categorized them into five separate risk groups based on the acquired patient information. According to the data, around 51% of the overall screened populations are safe, 35% are low risk, 9% are high risk, 4% are mid risk, and the remaining 1% is very high risk. The dashboard integrates all collected data from around the nation onto a single platform.ConclusionThis screening can help the symptomatic patient take immediate action, such as isolation or hospitalization, depending on the severity. This surveillance system can also be utilized for risk mapping, planning, and allocating health resources to more vulnerable areas to reduce the virus's severity.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fdgth.2023.1059446/fullCOVID-19artificial intelligencescreeningdigital healthsurveillance system |
| spellingShingle | Farhana Sarker Farhana Sarker Moinul H. Chowdhury Ishrak Jahan Ratul Shariful Islam Khondaker A. Mamun Khondaker A. Mamun Khondaker A. Mamun An interactive national digital surveillance system to fight against COVID-19 in Bangladesh Frontiers in Digital Health COVID-19 artificial intelligence screening digital health surveillance system |
| title | An interactive national digital surveillance system to fight against COVID-19 in Bangladesh |
| title_full | An interactive national digital surveillance system to fight against COVID-19 in Bangladesh |
| title_fullStr | An interactive national digital surveillance system to fight against COVID-19 in Bangladesh |
| title_full_unstemmed | An interactive national digital surveillance system to fight against COVID-19 in Bangladesh |
| title_short | An interactive national digital surveillance system to fight against COVID-19 in Bangladesh |
| title_sort | interactive national digital surveillance system to fight against covid 19 in bangladesh |
| topic | COVID-19 artificial intelligence screening digital health surveillance system |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fdgth.2023.1059446/full |
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