{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,21]],"date-time":"2026-04-21T15:26:00Z","timestamp":1776785160828,"version":"3.51.2"},"reference-count":14,"publisher":"Georg Thieme Verlag KG","issue":"02","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,3,24]],"date-time":"2021-03-24T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1616544000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":23,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-nd\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Appl Clin Inform"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2021,3]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title><jats:p>\n          Background\u2003Queensland, Australia has been successful in containing the COVID-19 pandemic. Underpinning that response has been a highly effective virus containment strategy which relies on identification, isolation, and contact tracing of cases. The dramatic emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic rendered traditional paper-based systems for managing contact tracing no longer fit for purpose. A rapid digital transformation of the public health contact tracing system occurred to support this effort.<\/jats:p><jats:p>\n          Objectives\u2003The objectives of the digital transformation were to shift legacy systems (paper or standalone electronic systems) to a digitally enabled public health system, where data are centered around the consumer rather than isolated databases. The objective of this paper is to outline this case study and detail the lessons learnt to inform and give confidence to others contemplating digitization of public health systems in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/jats:p><jats:p>\n          Methods\u2003This case study is set in Queensland, Australia. Universal health care is available. A multidisciplinary team was established consisting of clinical informaticians, developers, data strategists, and health information managers. An agile \u201cpair-programming\u201d approach was undertaken to application development and extensive change efforts were made to maximize adoption of the new digital workflows. Data governance and flows were changed to support rapid management of the pandemic.<\/jats:p><jats:p>\n          Results\u2003The digital coronavirus application (DCOVA) is a web-based application that securely captures information about people required to quarantine and creates a multiagency secure database to support a successful containment strategy.<\/jats:p><jats:p>\n          Conclusion\u2003Most of the literature surrounding digital transformation allows time for significant consultation, which was simply not possible under crisis conditions. Our observation is that staff was willing to adopt new digital systems because the reason for change (the COVID-19 pandemic) was clearly pressing. This case study highlights just how critical a unified purpose, is to successful, rapid digital transformation.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1055\/s-0041-1725186","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,3,25]],"date-time":"2021-03-25T00:37:04Z","timestamp":1616632624000},"page":"229-236","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":26,"title":["Moving Faster than the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Rapid, Digital Transformation of a Public Health System"],"prefix":"10.1055","volume":"12","author":[{"given":"Clair","family":"Sullivan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre for Health Services Research, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia"},{"name":"Digital Metro North, Metro North Hospital and Health Service, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ides","family":"Wong","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Queensland Department of Health, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Emily","family":"Adams","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Queensland Department of Health, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Magid","family":"Fahim","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre for Health Services Research, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia"},{"name":"Digital Metro North, Metro North Hospital and Health Service, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Jon","family":"Fraser","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Digital Metro North, Metro North Hospital and Health Service, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Gihan","family":"Ranatunga","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Digital Metro North, Metro North Hospital and Health Service, Brisbane, Queensland, 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