Development of innovations for analyzing surveillance situations of communicable diseases in Thailand using the design thinking process
Keywords:
Data Utilization, Disease Surveillance System, Design thinkingAbstract
Backgrounds: Thailand's disease surveillance system has transitioned from the National Disease Surveillance (Report 506) to the Digital Diseases Surveillance (DDS) system due to limitations in the timeliness and efficiency of data collection and reporting across different levels. However, the DDS system is still in the developmental phase. The Division of Epidemiology aims to study the utilization, problems, and user needs of the Report 506to further improve the DDS system.
Methods: This is a qualitative study using the 5-step design thinking process: 1) Empathize - gain a deep understanding of the problem, 2) Define - identify the problem and its scope, 3) Ideate - brainstorm solutions, 4) Prototype - build a prototype, and 5) Test - test the prototype. The study sample was randomly selected from the Provincial Public Health Offices, District Health Offices, and various levels of hospitals, including regional, general, and community hospitals, as well as sub-district health promotion hospitals. Key informants included staff responsible for the Report 506. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews focusing on work responsibilities, system usage, problems, needs related to the Report 506, user satisfaction, and recommendations after testing the system. The data were then analyzed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis.
Results: The in-depth understanding of the issues identified that the system was beneficial for disease prevention and control but highlighted the problem of inconsistent disease situation reports. Based on user feedback, a tool for displaying reports was designed, and a disease situation report dashboard was created. After testing, 81% of respondents rated their satisfaction at 10 out of 10. Additional feedback was incorporated into the system before final implementation.
Conclusion and Discussion: The study shows that developing tools to analyze the critical characteristics of communicable diseases for surveillance in Thailand is an evidence-based approach that supports decision-making for disease prevention and control. The data analysis aids in preventing outbreaks and reduces the workload of public health officers. The design thinking process effectively developed a system tailored to user needs.
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