A methodology for evaluating digital contact tracing apps based on the COVID-19 experience

Hernández-Orallo, Enrique; Manzoni, Pietro; Calafate, Carlos T.; Cano, Juan-Carlos

doi:10.1038/s41598-022-17024-2

Cited by 6 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 39 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Rigorous scienti c assessment of the e cacy of digital contact tracing tools can contribute to building that trust 15 . Ideally, future digital contact tracing tools will nd a balance between protecting user privacy while still enabling the sort of impact assessment presented here 41,44,45 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changes in social contact time following digital SARS-CoV-2 post-exposure notification: A retrospective case-control study at a US university

Citron,

Loh,

Yee

et al. 2024

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, digital contact tracing smartphone applications were developed for the purpose of reducing transmission by encouraging individuals to voluntarily quarantine after exposure. Privacy protocols used in many of these apps prevented longitudinal linkage of users’ contact network data, making it impossible to observe whether users reduced social contact following digital exposure notification. We used anonymous data from one particular app deployment, which used alternative privacy measures and retained longitudinal interaction data, to evaluate changes in the users’ time in proximity to other users after digital exposure notification. We analyzed a dataset of the anonymous app users in a US university community January − March 2021, before COVID-19 vaccines were widely available. Users provided consent for their anonymous data to be used for research. We conducted pre-post analysis of contact time with other users before and after using the app to self-report being a positive COVID-19 case, and before and after exposure notification by the app. We further conducted a retrospective case-control study by matching users who did and who did not receive exposure notification based on having similar contact time with other users prior to notification. In pre-post analysis, we found that users who reported being a positive case to the app reduced their total contact time with others by 29% (p = 0.002) in the 7-day period immediately after time of the report vs. the 7-day period before the time of the report. However, we observed no statistically significant change in contact time before vs. after exposure notification. We also observed no statistically significant difference in contact time compared to matched controls who received no notification. Our findings suggest that digital contact tracing app users affiliated with this US university did not reduce contact with others after receiving exposure notification. Our study provides one of the first rigorous evaluations of the effectiveness of digital exposure notifications during a time when communities were reliant on non-pharmaceutical interventions to reduce disease spread.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changes in social contact time following digital SARS-CoV-2 post-exposure notification: A retrospective case-control study at a US university

Citron,

Loh,

Yee

et al. 2024

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…A tracking application was used to track people's health movements during this COVID-19 pandemic. Since its inception in the first month of 2020, COVID-19 has generated several waves, mitigated by various measures to reduce its spread [55]. An effective and practical tracking application increases passenger awareness of COVID-19 and indirectly increases trust in public transportation users in Bangkok [12].…”

Section: Tracing Appsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Passengers’ Intentions to Use Public Transport during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study of Bangkok and Jakarta

Hidayat

Choocharukul

2023

Sustainability

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Several problems have arisen due to the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in the public transportation sector. Data from 2021 show that the number of bus passengers in Bangkok has decreased by 40–60% below normal conditions, and the number of bus passengers in Jakarta has decreased by around 76% compared to June 2019. In the new normal period, public transport is required to implement strict health protocols in its operations. This paper aims to evaluate potential indicators underlying the intention to use public transport during a pandemic. The target groups are public and paratransit buses in Bangkok and Jakarta, two metropolitan areas in ASEAN that have been greatly affected by this pandemic. A total of 400 questionnaires were distributed in each city. The outcome from the structural equation model reveals a relatively similar finding in both cities. Tangibility is one of the five dimensions of service quality that is influential in both cities; this indicator affects the intention to use public transportation in Jakarta (Coeff. = 14.670, p-value < 0.001) and Bangkok (Coeff. = 1.164, p-value < 0.001). In this study, confidence (CO) is significant for the intention to use public transportation in both cities with a coefficient of 0.105 for Bangkok and 0.969 for Jakarta. Furthermore, the health measure indicator (HM) has a significant value on passenger confidence (CO) in using public transportation for both cities (Coeff. = 0.808, p-value = <0.001 in Bangkok and Coeff. = −1.413, p-value = 0.008 in Jakarta). Health measures such as wearing a mask, always washing hands and not traveling if unwell are considered to be the right policies to prevent the spread of the virus during the COVID-19 pandemic. This practical implication can become a core strategy for improving the quality of public transport services in similar cities.

show abstract

Application Case Studies for Opportunistic Networks

Förster,

Manzoni,

Orallo

et al. 2012

Opportunistic Networks

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A methodology for evaluating digital contact tracing apps based on the COVID-19 experience

Cited by 6 publications

References 39 publications

Changes in social contact time following digital SARS-CoV-2 post-exposure notification: A retrospective case-control study at a US university

Changes in social contact time following digital SARS-CoV-2 post-exposure notification: A retrospective case-control study at a US university

Passengers’ Intentions to Use Public Transport during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study of Bangkok and Jakarta

Application Case Studies for Opportunistic Networks

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About