Integration of Information Technologies in Clinical Studies in Nicaragua

摘要

Over the past several years, information technologies have been increasingly used in health applications in developing countries [1–5]. Here we report our experience integrating a number of information and communication technologies (ICTs) into clinical and epidemiological studies in Nicaragua. Since 2004, our team (from the Nicaraguan Ministry of Health, the Sustainable Sciences Institute, and the University of California, Berkeley) has established a pediatric dengue cohort study (PDCS) in Managua, Nicaragua. Currently in its third year, the PDCS follows 3,800 children aged two to twelve with the aim of characterizing the natural history of dengue transmission, obtaining biological samples for vaccine safety research, and establishing appropriate infrastructure for future dengue vaccine trials.