Enhancing Capability of Surveillance actors in using Evidence Informed Decision Making on COVID-19 Response in Nigeria.

The objective of disease surveillance and response is to improve the flow of information to monitor the spread of Infectious diseases, evaluate the effectiveness of control and preventive measures. This study assessed surveillance actors' knowledge and capacity to access and utilize relevant evidence from COVID-19 response data. The study was carried out in Anambra State. We adopted a pre-test and post-test design for the study. The population included all the surveillance actors in Anambra state, and the sample was 42 surveillance officers drawn via purposive sampling. Demographic data and pre-test were administered before the one-day intensive training. After the training, a post-test was administered. Data collected were analyzed using means and standard deviations, and the Chi-square test was used to determine relationships between categorical variables. The study results revealed that there is an increase in the mean of knowledge and capacity amongst the respondents. The findings of this study suggest that ICT competence relevant to data analysis and translating data into Evidence-Informed Decision making (EIDM) can be enhanced through training workshops. This study recommends a conscious effort to institutionalize training, capacity building, and mentoring for knowledge sharing and sustainability of EIDM.

Keywords: Surveillance, data, Infectious diseases, Surveillance actors, COVID-19, EIDM, Nigeria