Contact trace app unlikely to contain COVID-19 spreads

According to a new study by UCL researchers, the contract tracking app used to reduce the spread of COVID-19 may not be effective without proper ingestion and concurrency control support.

Systematic review published in Lancet digital healthEvidence of the effectiveness of automated contact tracking systems is currently very limited, requiring large-scale manual contact along with other public health control measures such as physical distances and the closure of indoor spaces such as pubs. It shows that tracking is likely to be needed in combination with an automated approach.

The team reviewed more than 4,000 papers on automated and partially automated contact tracing, found 15 relevant studies, and analyzed them to determine the potential impact of these tools on the control of the COVID-19 pandemic. I understand the implications.

Lead author Isobel Braithwaite, UCL Institute of Health Informatics, said: “We found a consistent situation in which automated contact tracing can support manual contact tracing, but the system requires a large population uptake Contact notified that it will have a significant impact on reducing infection Strict adherence to quarantine advice by.”

The authors believe that optimistic assumptions (75-80% of UK smartphone owners use a contact tracking app and 90-100% of identified potential close contacts first to quarantine advice) Compliant), but suggests that an automated method of contact tracking is still needed to be used within an integrated public health response to prevent the outbreak of epidemics.

A total of 4,033 papers published between 1 January 2000 and 14 April 2020 were reviewed, allowing researchers to identify 15 papers containing useful data. The seven studies that directly addressed automatic contact tracking were all COVID-19 focused modeling studies. Five studies of partially automated contact tracking were descriptive observational studies or case studies, and three studies of automatic contact detection looked for disease situations similar to COVID-19, but No tracking or contact notifications were included.

The partially automated system has some automated processes, for example determining the required contact follow-up period, but does not use smartphone proximity as a proxy for contact with the infected Please

Analysis of automated contact tracking apps has suggested that a high population uptake of related apps is generally required along with other control measures.

Dr. Braithwaite said: “Automated contact tracking has shown the potential to help reduce COVID-19 infections within the community, but our study requires these apps to be further evaluated in public health practice. It has become clear that there is global evidence of their effectiveness, and to improve our understanding of how they can support manual contact tracking systems.”

The review shows that at this time, there is insufficient evidence to justify reliance on automated contact tracking approaches without additional extensive public health control measures.

Dr. Robert Aldridge (UCL Institute of Health Informatics) also said: -19 when compared with advice from the public health Please contact the tracer. We will investigate this evidence gap and see how automated approaches can be integrated with existing contact tracing and disease management strategies to determine whether these new digital approaches are cost-effective and equitable. Need to generate evidence. “

When implemented effectively and quarantine advice properly followed, automated contact tracking can offer benefits such as reducing the reliance on recalls of contacts near people. resource.

Dr Braithwaite also said, “It’s very limited value in some countries, as it should also be noted that the automated approach raises potential privacy and ethical concerns and relies on high ownership of smartphones. Excessive reliance on automated contact tracking apps increases the risk of COVID-19 in vulnerable and digitally excluded groups, such as the elderly and those who are experiencing the homeless. “

Implementing automated contact tracing technology requires decision makers to thoroughly assess available evidence regarding its effectiveness, privacy, and equality considerations and monitor it as the evidence base evolves. The author says.

They added that planning for proper integration of contact tracking apps within a comprehensive outbreak response strategy is important and its impact needs to be rigorously evaluated. Controlling COVID-19 requires a combination of different approaches, and the review concludes that contact tracking apps may support it, but it’s not a panacea.

This study was co-authored by the UCL Public Health Data Science Research Group, Institute of Health Informatics, Department of Applied Health Research, and Collaborative Center for Inclusion Health.

Research limits

As part of this Systematic reviewThe researchers found no epidemiological studies comparing automated and manual contact tracking systems, and their effectiveness in identifying contacts. Other restrictions include the lack of qualified empirical studies for full automation Contact trace There is a lack of evidence related to ethical concerns and cost effectiveness.