Abstract:
BACKGROUND : Foodborne disease outbreaks are common and notifiable in South Africa; however, they are rarely
reported and poorly investigated. Surveillance data from the notification system is suboptimal and limited, and does
not provide adequate information to guide public health action and inform policy. We performed a systematic review
of published literature to identify mobile application-based outbreak response systems for managing foodborne disease
outbreaks and to determine the elements that the system requires to generate foodborne disease data needed
for public action.
METHODS : Studies were identified through literature searches using online databases on PubMed/Medline, CINAHL,
Academic Search Complete, Greenfile, Library, Information Science & Technology. Search was limited to studies published
in English during the period January 1990 to November 2020. Search strategy included various terms in varying
combinations with Boolean phrases “OR” and “AND”. Data were collected following the Preferred Reporting Items for
Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Statement. A standardised data collection tool was used to extract and summarise
information from identified studies. We assessed qualities of mobile applications by looking at the operating
system, system type, basic features and functionalities they offer for foodborne disease outbreak management.
RESULTS : Five hundred and twenty-eight (528) publications were identified, of which 48 were duplicates. Of the
remaining 480 studies, 2.9% (14/480) were assessed for eligibility. Only one of the 14 studies met the inclusion criteria
and reported on one mobile health application named MyMAFI (My Mobile Apps for Field Investigation). There was
lack of detailed information on the application characteristics. However, based on minimal information available,
MyMAFI demonstrated the ability to generate line lists, reports and offered functionalities for outbreak verification and
epidemiological investigation. Availability of other key components such as environmental and laboratory investigations
were unknown.
CONCLUSIONS : There is limited use of mobile applications on management of foodborne disease outbreaks. Efforts
should be made to set up systems and develop applications that can improve data collection and quality of foodborne
disease outbreak investigations.
