Open AccessPerformance of the Severe Acute Respiratory Illness Sentinel Surveillance System in Yemen: Mixed Methods Evaluation Study
Author(s) -
Ghamdan Gamal Alkholidy,
Labiba Anam,
Ali Hamoud Almahaqri,
Yousef Khader
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
jmir public health and surveillance
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2369-2960
DOI - 10.2196/27621
Subject(s) - medicine , disease surveillance , environmental health , disease control , disease monitoring , epidemiology , medical emergency , disease
Background The national severe acute respiratory illness (SARI) surveillance system in Yemen was established in 2010 to monitor SARI occurrence in humans and provide a foundation for detecting SARI outbreaks. Objective To ensure that the objectives of national surveillance are being met, this study aimed to examine the level of usefulness and the performance of the SARI surveillance system in Yemen. Methods The updated Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines were used for the purposes of our evaluation. Related documents and reports were reviewed. Data were collected from 4 central-level managers and stakeholders and from 10 focal points at 4 sentinel sites by using a semistructured questionnaire. For each attribute, percent scores were calculated and ranked as follows: very poor (≤20%), poor (20%-40%), average (40%-60%), good (60%-80%), and excellent (>80%). Results As rated by the evaluators, the SARI surveillance system achieved its objectives. The system’s flexibility (percent score: 86%) and acceptability (percent score: 82%) were rated as “excellent,” and simplicity (percent score: 74%) and stability (percent score: 75%) were rated as “good.” The percent score for timeliness was 23% in 2018, which indicated poor timeliness. The overall data quality percent score of the SARI system was 98.5%. Despite its many strengths, the SARI system has some weaknesses. For example, it depends on irregular external financial support. Conclusions The SARI surveillance system was useful in estimating morbidity and mortality, monitoring the trends of the disease, and promoting research for informing prevention and control measures. The overall performance of the SARI surveillance system was good. We recommend expanding the system by promoting private health facilities’ (eg, private hospitals and private health centers) engagement in SARI surveillance, establishing an electronic database at central and peripheral sites, and providing the National Central Public Health Laboratory with the reagents needed for disease confirmation.