Does integration with national registers improve the data completeness of local COVID-19 contact tracing tools? A register-based study in Norway, May 2020 - September 2021
-
Published:2024-01-17
Issue:1
Volume:24
Page:
-
ISSN:1472-6963
-
Container-title:BMC Health Services Research
-
language:en
-
Short-container-title:BMC Health Serv Res
Author:
Meijerink Hinta,Shelil Mohamed,Jani-Bølstad Jagrati,Dvergsdal Evy Therese,Madslien Elisabeth Henie,Wilberg Madeleine,Gundersen Ragnhild Bassøe,Sæbø Johan Ivar,Thorseng Anne Asmyr,Iversen Bjørn Gunnar
Abstract
Abstract
Background
During the COVID-19 response in Norway, many municipalities used the Fiks contact tracing tool (FiksCT) to register positive individuals and follow-up contacts. This tool is based on DHIS2, an open source, web-based platform. In this study we examined if data completeness in FiksCT improved after integration with national registers between May 2020 and September 2021.
Methods
Data from municipalities using FiksCT was extracted from the Norwegian Emergency Preparedness Register for COVID-19 (Beredt C19). We linked FiksCT data to the Norwegian Surveillance System for Communicable Diseases (MSIS), the National Population Register (FREG), and the Norwegian Vaccine Registry (SYSVAK) using unique identification numbers (ID). Completeness for each variable linked with a national register was calculated before and after integration with these registers.
Results
Of the 125 municipalities using FiksCT, 87 (69.6%) agreed to share and upload their data to Beredt C19. Data completeness for positive individuals improved after integration with national registers. After integration with FREG, the proportion of missing values decreased from 12.5 to 1.6% for ID, from 4.5 to 0.9% for sex, and from 1.2 to 0.4% for date of birth. Missing values for vaccine type decreased from 63.0 to 15.2% and 39.3–36.7% for first and second dose, respectively. In addition, direct reporting from FiksCT to MSIS increased the proportion of complete records in MSIS (on the selected variables) from 68.6% before to 77.0% after integration.
Conclusion
The completeness of local contact tracing data can be improved by enabling integration with established national registers. In addition, providing the option to submit local data to the national registers could ease workload and reduce the need to collect duplicate data.
Funder
Norwegian Institute of Public Health
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Reference28 articles.
1. The Norwegian Institute of Public Health. Follow-up of close contacts and home isolation - advice for healthcare personnel and contact tracing team - archived 2022 [Available from: https://www.fhi.no/en/archive/covid-19-archive/covid-19-guidance-archived-articles/follow-up-close-contacts/#follow-up-of-close-contacts.
2. Statistics Norway. This is Norway 2021. 2021.
3. Helsedirektoratet. Testing, isolasjon, smittesporing og karantene (TISK) 2023 [Available from: https://www.helsedirektoratet.no/veiledere/koronavirus/testing-isolasjon-smittesporing-og-karantene.
4. Anglemyer A, Moore THM, Parker L, Chambers T, Grady A, Chiu K et al. Digital contact tracing technologies in epidemics: a rapid review. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2020(8).
5. Gundersen RB, Utvik VA, Thorseng AA, Sæbø JI, Nielsen P, editors. An Institutional Analysis of Digital Transformation of Covid-19 contact tracing during a pandemic. IRIS 44; 2021.