SORMAS (Surveillance Outbreak Response Management & Analysis System)

Target SDGs

Target Users (Target Impact Group)

Household

Distributors / Implementing Organizations

Vitasystems, Netzlink, Scigraphix, Crowdcode, Mirabilia, Elektro- & Datentechnik.

Countries

Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Fiji, France, Germany, Ghana, Nepal, Nigeria, Switzerland

Manufacturing/Building Method

Open-source software created as a code by software developers.

Intellectural Property Type

Open-source

User Provision Model

By contacting the team directly for procurement; direct download for demo version.

Distributions to Date Status

In 2016, SORMAS was migrated into an open-source software application. This fulfills the objective to ensure a sustainable software product independent from IT companies but that can be used within the software community to develop the health sector goals. The following are some use cases to date:

Ghana Health Services and Ghana Community Network decided to deploy SORMAS as a test pilot in a few districts in Ghana in 2019. The HZI team traveled to Ghana to help set up and train future SORMAS users.
During the SARS-CoV-2-pandemic in early 2020, the team quickly implemented a COVID19 into SORMAS which lead to a wide spread use of SORMAS in France, Switzerland and Germany. Addtionally, Fiji, Nepal, Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast are planning implementation in the near future.
In November the German Chancellor and regional bosses decided that SORMAS should be used by 90% of all health departments in Germany.

Design Specifications

SORMAS has been developed on VAADIN framework, JAVA EE Server Payara, PostgreSQL Database, REST-API, VAADIN web client application. SORMAS can be used on desktop computers, tablets and mobile phones, both online and offline. It offers 10 different menus, including one for cases, contacts, tasks or a dashboard. Different user roles ensure data protection of cases and contacts and the connection between different public health institutes such as hospitals, labs and surveillance officers.

The following are some design specifications:

• Detection phase - Community Informant notifies the Hospital Informant about any disease that has been detected. Similarly, Citizens Hotlines can inform the Epidemic Intelligence Officer about detection of a disease.
• Investigate phase - The inputs from Hospital Informant, Epidemic Intelligence Officer and Port of Entry Officer flows to the Surveillance Officer who notifies his/her Surveillance Supervisor, who further enters the information into the SORMAS system. The Surveillance Officer is also supplied with information by the Laboratory Officers who get their data from Hospital Informants.
• Control phase - Laboratory Officers and Surveillance Supervisors inform the Case Supervisor and Contact Supervisor who take necessary steps by delegating further work to Case Officer and Contact Officer respectively to control an epidemic.

Technical Support

Through direct contact with manufacturer.

Replacement Components

N/A

Lifecycle

N/A

Manufacturer Specified Performance Parameters

None

Vetted Performance Status

Successfully tested in 84 private and public hospitals in Nigeria. SORMAS prototype was distributed in 84 private and public health institutions in two states of Nigeria. In July 2015, data was collected and entered about cholera, measles and highly pathogenic avian influenza. In addition, a simulation of a complex Ebola outbreak was performed.

Safety

N/A

Complementary Technical Systems

No

Academic Research and References

Compliance with regulations

SORMAS adheres to international data standards (e.g. HL7 FHIR) and enhances technical and contextual interoperability with LIMS, NCDC, dhis2, eIDSR, Africa CDC, WHO etc. 

Public health agency running SORMAS is in charge of data security and data protection and has to ensure compliance with national data protection and data security regulations in their respective jurisdiction. 

Evaluation methods

Direct testing in 84 public and private hospitals in Nigeria.

Other Information

Covers acute flaccid paralysis, anthrax, COVID-19, cholera, congenital rubella, dengue fever, Ebola virus disease, guinea worm, human rabies, influenza, lassa, malaria, measles, meningitis (CSM), monkey pox, plague, poliomyelitis, unspecified VHF, yellow fever.