Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Public Health and Surveillance
Date Submitted: Jun 21, 2021
Open Peer Review Period: Jun 11, 2021 - Jul 8, 2021
Date Accepted: Sep 7, 2021
Date Submitted to PubMed: Sep 20, 2021
(closed for review but you can still tweet)
Development of the Dutch COVID-19 Dashboard: Descriptive Assessment and Expert Appraisal of its Fitness for Purpose and Use
ABSTRACT
Background:
Web-based public reporting by means of dashboards has become an essential tool for governments worldwide to monitor COVID-19 information and communicate it to the public. The actionability of such dashboards is determined by their fitness for purpose and use.
Objective:
The aim of this study is to identify specific areas where the actionability of the Dutch government’s COVID-19 dashboard could be improved, with the ultimate goal of enhancing public understanding of the pandemic.
Methods:
The study was conducted from February 2020 to April 2021. A mixed-methods approach was carried out, using (1) a descriptive checklist over time to monitor changes made to the dashboard, (2) an actionability assessment of the dashboard to pinpoint areas for improvement, and (3) a reflection meeting with the dashboard development team to contextualise findings and discuss areas for improvement.
Results:
The dashboard predominantly showed epidemiological information on COVID-19. It had been developed and adapted by adding more in-depth indicators, more geographic disaggregation options, and new indicator themes. It also changed in target audience from policy makers to the general public, thus a homepage was added with the most important information, using news-like items to explain the provided indicators, and conducting research to enhance public understanding of the dashboard. However, disaggregation options such as sex, socioeconomic status and ethnicity, and indicators on dual-track health system management and social and economic impact which have proven to give important insights in other countries, are missing from the Dutch COVID-19 dashboard, limiting its actionability.
Conclusions:
The Dutch COVID-19 dashboard developed over time to be fit for purpose and use in terms of providing epidemiological information to the general public as target audience. This can help to transform the dashboard from a tool of public accountability to an instrument for community action to contain the pandemic. However, to enhance its actionability for monitoring COVID-19 and its social and economic impact, including a broader set of indicators may be considered. Therefore, gaps in the Dutch health information infrastructure need to be addressed. To strengthen the Dutch health systems ability to cope with upcoming phases of the COVID-19 pandemic or future public health emergencies, we advise (1) establishing timely indicators relating to health system capacity, (2) including relevant data disaggregation options (e.g. sex, socioeconomic status), and (3) enabling interoperability between social, health and economic data sources. Clinical Trial: not applicable
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