African Aquaculture Research (Agri/Animal Science) | 06 March 2006
Methodological Assessment of Public Health Surveillance Systems in South Africa Using Quasi-Experimental Designs: A Review
N, o, m, p, u, m, e, l, e, l, o, K, h, u, m, a, l, o, ,, S, i, p, h, o, M, k, h, u, l, u, l, e, k, o
Abstract
Public health surveillance systems in South Africa play a crucial role in monitoring diseases and outbreaks to protect public health. However, their effectiveness is often debated due to methodological limitations. A comprehensive search strategy was employed across multiple databases including PubMed and Web of Science. Studies were selected based on predefined inclusion criteria related to quasi-experimental design applications in public health surveillance system evaluations in South Africa. The review identified a significant proportion (70%) of studies using intention-to-treat analysis, which is important for understanding the real-world impact but may not fully capture treatment effects. This review highlights the need for more consistent application and reporting of quasi-experimental design methodologies in public health surveillance system evaluations to improve cost-effectiveness assessments. Future research should prioritise standardising methodological approaches, including use of intention-to-treat analysis and robust statistical models, to enhance the validity and reliability of cost-effectiveness analyses. Treatment effect was estimated with $\text{logit}(p<em>i)=\beta</em>0+\beta^\top X_i$, and uncertainty reported using confidence-interval based inference.