PDF(Pubmed)
Abstract：
BACKGROUND: Sentinel influenza-like illness (ILI) surveillance is an essential component of a comprehensive influenza surveillance program. Community-based ILI surveillance systems that rely solely on sentinel healthcare practices omit important segments of the population, including those who do not seek medical care. Participatory surveillance, which relies on community participation in surveillance, may address some limitations of traditional ILI systems.
OBJECTIVE: We aimed to evaluate FluWatchers, a crowdsourced ILI application developed to complement and complete ILI surveillance in Canada.
METHODS: Using established frameworks for surveillance evaluations, we assessed the acceptability, reliability, accuracy and usefulness of the FluWatchers system 2015-2016, through 2018-2019. Evaluation indicators were compared against national surveillance indicators of ILI and of laboratory confirmed respiratory virus infections.
RESULTS: The acceptability of FluWatchers was demonstrated by growth of 50%-100% in season-over-season participation, and a consistent season-over-season retention of 80%. Reliability was greater for FluWatchers than for our traditional ILI system, although both systems had week-over-week fluctuations in the number of participants responding. FluWatchers\' ILI rates had moderate correlation with weekly influenza laboratory detection rates and other winter seasonal respiratory virus detections including respiratory syncytial virus and seasonal coronaviruses. Finally, FluWatchers has demonstrated its usefulness as a source of core FluWatch surveillance information and has the potential to fill data gaps in current programs for influenza surveillance and control.
CONCLUSIONS: FluWatchers is an example of an innovative digital participatory surveillance program that was created to address limitations of traditional ILI surveillance in Canada. It fulfills the surveillance system evaluation criteria of acceptability, reliability, accuracy and usefulness.
OBJECTIVE: We aimed to evaluate FluWatchers, a crowdsourced ILI application developed to complement and complete ILI surveillance in Canada.
METHODS: Using established frameworks for surveillance evaluations, we assessed the acceptability, reliability, accuracy and usefulness of the FluWatchers system 2015-2016, through 2018-2019. Evaluation indicators were compared against national surveillance indicators of ILI and of laboratory confirmed respiratory virus infections.
RESULTS: The acceptability of FluWatchers was demonstrated by growth of 50%-100% in season-over-season participation, and a consistent season-over-season retention of 80%. Reliability was greater for FluWatchers than for our traditional ILI system, although both systems had week-over-week fluctuations in the number of participants responding. FluWatchers\' ILI rates had moderate correlation with weekly influenza laboratory detection rates and other winter seasonal respiratory virus detections including respiratory syncytial virus and seasonal coronaviruses. Finally, FluWatchers has demonstrated its usefulness as a source of core FluWatch surveillance information and has the potential to fill data gaps in current programs for influenza surveillance and control.
CONCLUSIONS: FluWatchers is an example of an innovative digital participatory surveillance program that was created to address limitations of traditional ILI surveillance in Canada. It fulfills the surveillance system evaluation criteria of acceptability, reliability, accuracy and usefulness.
摘要：
背景：前哨流感样疾病（ILI）监测是全面流感监测计划的重要组成部分。基于社区的ILI监测系统仅依靠哨点医疗保健实践，忽略了人口的重要部分，包括那些不寻求医疗护理的人。参与式监视,这依赖于社区参与监控，可以解决传统ILI系统的一些限制。
目的：我们旨在评估FluWatchers，为补充和完成加拿大的ILI监视而开发的众包ILI应用程序。
方法：使用已建立的监测评估框架，我们评估了可接受性，可靠性,FluWatchers系统2015-2016年至2018-2019年的准确性和实用性。将评估指标与ILI和实验室确认的呼吸道病毒感染的国家监测指标进行比较。
结果：FluWatchers的可接受性通过季节参与的50％-100％的增长来证明，和80％的一致的季节保留。FluWatchers的可靠性比我们传统的ILI系统更高，尽管两种系统的参与者数量每周都有波动.FluWatchers的ILI率与每周流感实验室检出率和其他冬季季节性呼吸道病毒检测（包括呼吸道合胞病毒和季节性冠状病毒）具有中等相关性。最后,FluWatchers已证明其作为核心FluWatch监视信息的有用性，并有可能填补当前流感监视和控制程序中的数据空白。
结论：FluWatchers是创新的数字参与式监测计划的一个例子，该计划旨在解决加拿大传统ILI监测的局限性。符合监测系统可接受性评价标准,可靠性,准确性和有用性。
目的：我们旨在评估FluWatchers，为补充和完成加拿大的ILI监视而开发的众包ILI应用程序。
方法：使用已建立的监测评估框架，我们评估了可接受性，可靠性,FluWatchers系统2015-2016年至2018-2019年的准确性和实用性。将评估指标与ILI和实验室确认的呼吸道病毒感染的国家监测指标进行比较。
结果：FluWatchers的可接受性通过季节参与的50％-100％的增长来证明，和80％的一致的季节保留。FluWatchers的可靠性比我们传统的ILI系统更高，尽管两种系统的参与者数量每周都有波动.FluWatchers的ILI率与每周流感实验室检出率和其他冬季季节性呼吸道病毒检测（包括呼吸道合胞病毒和季节性冠状病毒）具有中等相关性。最后,FluWatchers已证明其作为核心FluWatch监视信息的有用性，并有可能填补当前流感监视和控制程序中的数据空白。
结论：FluWatchers是创新的数字参与式监测计划的一个例子，该计划旨在解决加拿大传统ILI监测的局限性。符合监测系统可接受性评价标准,可靠性,准确性和有用性。
