Designing a Trace-Monitor-and-Act Surveillance Framework for Preventing Foodborne Disease Outbreaks in Ghana

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Infectious Disease Surveillance
• Health Informatics

Background:

• Foodborne diseases are a major public health concern in Ghana.
• Current surveillance methods rely on fragmented paper forms and disconnected systems, hindering timely outbreak detection and response.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a stakeholder co-designed, federated surveillance architecture for foodborne diseases in Ghana.
• To improve the efficiency and effectiveness of foodborne disease surveillance and response.

Main Methods:

• Conducted 20 interviews with key stakeholders including the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), Ghana Health Service (GHS), Environmental Health Officers (EHOs), laboratories, food safety professionals, public health researchers, and IT experts.
• Derived requirements based on stakeholder input.
• Designed a Health Level Seven Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (HL7 FHIR)-enabled architecture.

Main Results:

• The proposed architecture incorporates features such as offline reporting, data traceability, real-time alerts, and role-based governance.
• This design aims to facilitate earlier detection and prevention of foodborne disease outbreaks.

Conclusions:

• A co-designed, federated surveillance architecture can significantly enhance foodborne disease surveillance in Ghana.
• Implementing HL7 FHIR-enabled systems with key features can lead to more effective outbreak prevention and management.