Leveraging interactive voice response technology to mitigate COVID-19 risk in refugee settlements in Uganda: Lessons learned implementing “Dial-COVID” a toll-free mobile phone symptom surveillance and information dissemination tool
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Date
2023
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
https://doi.org/ 10.1371/journal.pone.0279373
Abstract
Persons living in refugee settlements in sub-Saharan Africa may be at increased risk for
COVID-19 and experience barriers to accessing COVID-19 information. We aimed to evaluate
the implementation of “Dial-COVID” a multi-lingual, toll free, telephone platform that
uses interactive voice response (IVR) to track COVID-19 symptoms/exposure and disseminate
COVID-19 health information in refugee settlements in Uganda. We hypothesized that
IVR could provide an alternative way to screen for COVID-19 and communicate public
health information to humanitarian populations when physical access and testing capacity
were limited.
Methods
The Dial-COVID IVR platform was created in ten languages and advertised by community
health workers in refugee settlements for participants to call into toll free. In a recorded IVR
symptom survey, participants were screened for COVID-19 symptoms/exposures and
based on their responses, received tailored public health messages about COVID-19 risk
mitigation in accordance with Uganda Ministry of Health guidelines. Here we report the challenges
and lessons learned implementing this research during the pandemic. Results
Between February 2021 and March 2022, 15,465 calls were received by the Dial-COVID
platform from all 31 refugee settlements in Uganda through which 6,913 symptom surveys
were completed and 10,411 public health messages were disseminated in all study languages.
Uptake of Dial-COVID fluctuated with the national COVID-19 caseload and was
impacted by phone ownership and connectivity in refugee settlements. Intensified advertising
efforts promoted Dial-COVID uptake. Flexibility to adapt IVR messages was contingent
on translation capacity.
Conclusion
Refugees living in refugee settlements across Uganda accessed Dial-COVID to share and
obtain COVID-19 information suggesting that IVR holds potential for rapid information dissemination
and screening of humanitarian populations during future infectious disease outbreaks
and may be a valuable tool for routine public health programs. IVR adaptation
flexibility and reach are influenced by language constraints and by contextual factors related
to platform access.
Description
Keywords
Interactive voice response technology, COVID-19, Refugee settlements, Mobile phone symptom surveillance, Information dissemination tool
Citation
Klabbers RE, Muwonge TR, Pham P, Mujugira A, Vinck P, Borthakur S, et al. (2023) Leveraging interactive voice response technology to mitigate COVID-19 risk in refugee settlements in Uganda: Lessons learned implementing “Dial- COVID” a toll-free mobile phone symptom surveillance and information dissemination tool. PLoS ONE 18(1): e0279373. https://doi.org/ 10.1371/journal.pone.0279373