A Digital-Ready Framework for Ongoing Performance Evaluation of India's Integrated Disease Surveillance Program (IDSP) using Weekly Outbreak Reports: A Study from Bihar, 2016-2018
A digital-enabled performance evaluation framework reveals consistently low outbreak detection scores (<30/100) in Bihar's IDSP from 2016-2018, highlighting critical gaps.
- Why it matters: Effective disease surveillance is vital for timely public health responses, yet India lacks routine, embedded evaluation mechanisms, risking delayed outbreak detection and response.
- What they did: The study developed a weighted, composite scoring system using routine outbreak reports from 38 districts over three years, assessing six surveillance attributes including timeliness and acceptability.
- The result: Findings show poor timeliness and zero private sector participation, with overall scores remaining low and disparities widening, enabling continuous monitoring and targeted improvements in IDSP.