Applying participatory approaches in the evaluation of surveillance systems: A pilot study on African swine fever surveillance in Corsica.
The implementation of regular and relevant evaluations of surveillance systems is critical in improving their effectiveness and their relevance whilst limiting their cost. The complex nature of these systems and the variable contexts in which they are implemented call for the development of flexible evaluation tools. Within this scope, participatory tools have been developed and implemented for the African swine fever (ASF) surveillance system in Corsica (France). The objectives of this pilot study were, firstly, to assess the applicability of participatory approaches within a developed environment involving various stakeholders and, secondly, to define and test methods developed to assess evaluation attributes. Two evaluation attributes were targeted: the acceptability of the surveillance system and its the non-monetary benefits. Individual semi-structured interviews and focus groups were implemented with representatives from every level of the system. Diagramming and scoring tools were used to assess the different elements that compose the definition of acceptability. A contingent valuation method, associated with proportional piling, was used to assess the non-monetary benefits, i.e., the value of sanitary information. Sixteen stakeholders were involved in the process, through 3 focus groups and 8 individual semi-structured interviews. Stakeholders were selected according to their role in the system and to their availability. Results highlighted a moderate acceptability of the system for farmers and hunters and a high acceptability for other representatives (e.g., private veterinarians, local laboratories). Out of the 5 farmers involved in assessing the non-monetary benefits, 3 were interested in sanitary information on ASF. The data collected via participatory approaches enable relevant recommendations to be made, based on the Corsican context, to improve the current surveillance system.
Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique Pour le Développement (CIRAD), Département ES, UPR AGIRs, TA C22/E, Campus International de Baillarguet, 34398 Montpellier Cedex 5, France. Electronic address: clementine.calba@cirad.fr.
Clémentine
C
Calba
Tropical Veterinary Institute, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liege, Quartier Vallée 2, Avenue de Cureghem, B-4000 Liege, Belgium. Electronic address: nantoine@ulg.ac.be.
Nicolas
N
Antoine-Moussiaux
Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), Laboratoire de Recherches sur le Développement de Lélevage (LRDE), Quartier Grosseti, BP 8, 20250 Corte, France. Electronic address: charrier@corse.inra.fr.
François
F
Charrier
French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety (ANSES), 31 Avenue Tony Garnier, 69394 Lyon Cedex 07, France. Electronic address: pascal.hendrikx@anses.fr.
Pascal
P
Hendrikx
Research Unit of Epidemiology and Risk Analysis applied to Veterinary Sciences (UREAR-ULg), Fundamental and Applied Research for Animal and Health (FARAH), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liege, Quartier Vallée 2, Avenue de Cureghem, B-4000 Liege, Belgium. Electronic address: claude.saegerman@ulg.ac.be.
Claude
C
Saegerman
Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique Pour le Développement (CIRAD), Département ES, UPR AGIRs, TA C22/E, Campus International de Baillarguet, 34398 Montpellier Cedex 5, France. Electronic address: marisa.peyre@cirad.fr.
Marisa
M
Peyre
Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique Pour le Développement (CIRAD), Département ES, UPR AGIRs, TA C22/E, Campus International de Baillarguet, 34398 Montpellier Cedex 5, France. Electronic address: flavie.goutard@cirad.fr.
Flavie L
FL
Goutard
D000357:African Swine Fever / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology / Q000821:virology; D000818:Animals; D062665:Epidemiological Monitoring / Q000662:veterinary*; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011159:Population Surveillance; D013552:Swine; D018634:Veterinarians / Q000523:psychology*
Acceptability; Corsica; Evaluation; Non-monetary benefits; Participatory epidemiology; Surveillance