An Electronic Disease Early Warning System in Sana’a Governorate, Yemen: Evaluation Study

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Electronic Disease Early Warning System (eDEWS) is one of the effective programs in epidemiological surveillance. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to identify the strengths and weaknesses of eDEWS in Sana'a governorate, determine its usefulness, and assess its performance in terms of the system attributes, including simplicity, flexibility, data quality, acceptability, representativeness, timeliness, and stability. METHODS: Updated guidelines on the evaluation of public health surveillance from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) were used to evaluate the eDEWS in Sana'a governorate. Stakeholders from different levels were interviewed about the performance of the eDEWS. RESULTS: The overall score for the usefulness of the eDEWS was good (mean=83%). The overall system performance was good (86%). The highest attribute score was 100% for representativeness and the lowest score was 70% for stability. The system simplicity and acceptability were good. Although the system representativeness and flexibility were excellent, the stability was average. System completeness and timeliness were 100%. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, eDEWS in Yemen is useful and met its main objective. The overall level of system performance was good.