Development of a semi-structured, multifaceted, computer-aided questionnaire for outbreak investigation: e-Outbreak Platform

Abstract Background Aggressive tracing of contacts of confirmed cases is crucial to Taiwan\u0027s successful control of the early spread of COVID-19. As the pandemic lingers, an epidemiological investigation that can be conducted efficiently in a timely manner can help decrease the burden on the health personnel and increase the usefulness of such information in decision making. Aim To develop a new tool that can improve the current practice of epidemiological investigation by incorporating new technologies in digital platform and knowledge graphs. Methods To meet the various needs of the epidemiological investigation, we decided to develop an e-Outbreak Platform that provides a semi-structured, multifaceted, computer-aided questionnaire for outbreak investigation. Results There are three major parts of the platform: (1) a graphic portal that allows users to have an at-glance grasp of the functions provided by the platform and then choose the one they need; (2) disease-specific questionnaires that can accommodate different formats of the information, including text typing, button selection, and pull-down menu; and (3) functions to utilize the stored information, including report generation, statistical analyses, and knowledge graphs displaying contact tracing. When the number of outbreak investigation increases, the knowledge graphs can be extended to encompass other persons appearing in the same location at the same time, i.e., constituting a potential contact cluster. The information extracted can also be used to display the tracing on a map in animation. Conclusions Overall, this system can provide a basis for further refinement that can be generalized to a variety of outbreak investigations.