Improving the management and security of COVID 19 diagnostic test data with a digital platform in resource-limited settings: The case of PlaCARD in Cameroon

Abstract

During the COVID 19 pandemic, round-the-clock demand for COVID -19 laboratory tests exceeded capacity, placing a significant burden on laboratory staff and infrastructure. The use of laboratory information management systems (LIMS) to streamline all phases of laboratory testing (preanalytical, analytical, and postanalytical) has become inevitable. The objective of this study is to describe the architecture, implementation, and requirements of PlaCARD, a software platform for managing patient registration, medical specimens, and diagnostic data flow, as well as reporting and authentication of diagnostic results during the 2019 coronavirus pandemic (COVID -19) in Cameroon. Building on its experience with biosurveillance, CPC developed an open-source, real-time digital health platform with web and mobile applications called PlaCARD to improve the efficiency and timing of disease-related interventions. PlaCARD was quickly adapted to the decentralization strategy of the COVID 19 testing in Cameroon and, after specific user training, was deployed in all COVID 19 diagnostic laboratories and the regional emergency operations center. Overall, 71% of samples tested for COVID 19 by molecular diagnostics in Cameroon from 05 March 2020 to 31 October 2021 were entered into PlaCARD. The median turnaround time for providing results was 2 days [0–2.3] before April 2021 and decreased to 1 day [1– 1] after the introduction of SMS result notification in PlaCARD. The integration of LIMS and workflow management into a single comprehensive software platform (PlaCARD) has strengthened COVID 19 surveillance capabilities in Cameroon. PlaCARD has demonstrated that it can be used as a LIMS for managing and securing test data during an outbreak.

Concurrent Clade I and Clade II Monkeypox Virus Circulation, Cameroon, 1979–2022

“…A limitation of this study is our inability to perform more precise analyses to determine the characteristics independently describing the mpox epidemiology in Cameroon. Because the current surveillance system is still handwritten and forms are often incompletely filled, data are missing, as is common in paper-based data collection systems ( 48 ).…”

Observed versus estimated actual trend of COVID-19 case numbers in Cameroon: A data-driven modelling

“…Even though COVID-19 mortality was generally very low in Sub-Saharan countries, including Cameroon, not considering COVID-19 mortality in our model could be viewed as a limitation of our study. However, our data system, well described in ( Tchatchueng-Mbougua et al, 2022 ) did not collect data on COVID-19 mortality, and we are not aware of any data system in Cameroon which has collected such data.…”

“…Data were obtained from the following sources: D 1 : Platform for Collecting, Analyzing and Reporting Data (PLACARD). That was the only data system that collected COVID-19 diagnostic data in a disaggregated form at the national level in Cameroon, a broad description of this platform is provided in ( Eyangoh et al, 2021 ; Tchatchueng-Mbougua et al, 2022 ). The majority of individuals tested by PCR were reported in PLACARD.…”