Use of cell phones for field data capture in a Dengue Decision Support System

描述（由申请人提供）：登革热和疟疾等病媒传播疾病给人类造成了可怕和不可接受的负担，并阻碍了社会经济发展。需要有新的解决办法，在资源有限的环境中切实改善这些疾病和其他传染病的预防和控制。我们建议扩大基于计算机的登革热决策支持系统（DDSS），该系统目前正在科罗拉多州立大学（CSU）与墨西哥尤卡坦的学术机构（UAY尤卡坦自治大学）和公共卫生机构（Servicios de Salud de Yucatan， SSY）合作开发，以支持使用手机进行现场捕获和快速将数据传输到中央DDSS数据库。手机的使用利用了现有的通信基础设施，也引入了近乎实时的监控能力。具体目标是：(1)开发软件，允许使用现有的DDSS数据库模式和数据输入屏幕，在手机上获取与蚊子媒介相关的数据。这将由一个软件开发团队完成，该团队包括来自科罗拉多州立大学微生物系、免疫学和病理学系、计算机科学系和生物信息学中心的人员，以及来自尤卡坦州梅里达市way的人员。我们将使用迭代开发模型，其中软件功能（用例）被连续添加、现场测试（参见SA 2）和细化。该软件将是开源的，并通过科罗拉多州立大学“节肢动物传播传染病的风险评估和管理解决方案”网页免费提供。(2)实地测试软件用例以及实际使用手机在梅里达进行实地捕获并将与蚊子病媒有关的数据传输到way维护的中央DDSS数据库。根据分包合同雇用的人员将陪同SSY团队进行登革热病毒媒介埃及伊蚊的现场监测和控制，并通过使用配备了SA 1开发的软件的手机进行电子数据采集，将SSY捕获的数据复制到纸质表格上。将探讨通过手机将现场收集的数据传输到way的DDSS数据库服务器的不同方法，包括利用蜂窝网络中的通用分组无线电服务系统使用无线应用协议通过互联网连接到数据库，以及不使用蜂窝网络的带有笔记本电脑基座的手机。将确定系统功能和成本效益。我们预计，在未来几十年里，在实地使用手机进行电子数据采集将彻底改变发展中国家传染病数据收集和数据管理做法。这包括病媒传播、水媒和食源性疾病，在这些疾病中，与病媒或污染源有关的数据通常是在现场收集的。公共卫生相关性：迫切需要新的解决办法，以便在资源有限的环境中改进对登革热和疟疾等病媒传播疾病的业务管理。我们建议扩大一个基于计算机的登革热决策支持系统（DDSS），该系统目前正在科罗拉多州立大学与墨西哥尤卡坦的学术机构（尤卡坦自治大学）和公共卫生机构（尤卡坦的Salud de Servicios）合作开发，以支持手机在医疗保健中的使用

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Vector-borne diseases such as dengue and malaria inflict a terrible and unacceptable burden on humankind and are impediments to socioeconomic development. Novel solutions to operationally improve prevention and control of these and other infectious diseases in resource-constrained environments are needed. We propose to expand a computer-based Dengue Decision Support System (DDSS), which is currently being developed in collaboration between Colorado State University (CSU) and academic (Universidad Autonoma de Yucatan, UAY) and public health institutions (Servicios de Salud de Yucatan, SSY) in Yucatan, Mexico, to support the use of cell phones for field capture and rapid transfer of data to a central DDSS database. Use of cell phones exploits existing communications infrastructure and also introduces near real time monitoring capacity. Specific Aims are to: (1) Develop software that allows the use of existing DDSS database schema and data entry screens for mosquito vector-related data on cell phones. This will be accomplished by a software development team including personnel from the CSU Dept. of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Dept. of Computer Science, and Center for Bioinformatics, and from UAY in Merida, Yucatan. We will use an iterative development model where software functionality (use cases) is successively added, field tested (see SA 2) and refined. The software will be open source and made freely available through the Colorado State University "Risk Assessment and Management Solutions for Arthropod-borne Infectious Diseases" webpage. (2) Operationally field test software use cases as well as the practical use of cell phones for field capture and transmission of mosquito vector-related data in Merida to a central DDSS database maintained at UAY. Personnel hired under a subcontract to UAY will accompany SSY teams during field surveillance and control of the dengue virus vector Aedes aegypti and duplicate data captured by SSY on paper forms through electronic data capture using cell phones equipped with the software developed in SA 1. Different methods to transfer field-collected data to our DDSS database server at UAY via cell phones will be explored including linking to the database through the Internet using a Wireless Application Protocol making use of the General Packet Radio Service system in the cellular network and cell phones with a laptop base without making use of the cellular network. System functionality and cost-effectiveness will be determined. We expect the use of cell phones for electronic data capture in the field to revolutionize data collection and improve data management practices for infectious diseases in developing countries in coming decades. This includes vector-borne, water-borne and food-borne diseases where data relating to the vector or source of contamination routinely are collected in the field. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Novel solutions are urgently needed to improve operational management of vector-borne diseases such as dengue and malaria in resource-constrained environments. We propose to expand a computer-based Dengue Decision Support System (DDSS), which is currently being developed in collaboration between Colorado State University and academic (Universidad Autonoma de Yucatan) and public health institutions (Servicios de Salud de Yucatan) in Yucatan, Mexico, to support the use of cell phones for field capture and rapid transfer of data to a central DDSS database. The goals are to (1) develop software that allows the use of existing DDSS database schema and data entry screens for mosquito vector-related data on cell phones and (2) operationally field test software use cases as well as the practical use of cell phones for field capture and transmission of mosquito vector-related data in Merida, Yucatan, to a central DDSS database maintained at Universidad Autonoma de Yucatan.