ICT FOR PUBLIC HEALTH Modernising Outbreak and Incident Management with OCIMS

In today’s constantly evolving landscape, the ability to respond swiftly to infectious disease outbreaks and environmental hazards is critical. If the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us anything, it is that ensuring Next Pandemic Readiness is paramount. The Outbreak, Case, Incident Management and Surveillance (OCIMS) Programme is a transformative initiative aimed at modernising the way infectious diseases and environmental hazards are monitored, reported, and managed. The OCIMS system will aim to focus on leveraging advanced information systems to ensure timely detection, analysis, and response to Public Health threats. At its core, the OCIMS system will integrate surveillance, incident management, and data-driven decision-making into a unified platform. It aims to track 89 legally notifiable infectious diseases and environmental hazards, providing health authorities with real-time insights to respond swiftly to outbreaks. It will also replace a legacy system called the Computerised Infectious Disease Reporting (CIDR) which is at end of life.

From a personal perspective, a positive aspect of my role has been connecting with colleagues across the different HSE teams, and obtaining the lessons learned from the Covax, Covid Care Tracker (CCT) and CIDR teams who were always willing to offer their guidance and advice. I also enjoyed engaging and learning from our UK colleagues’ experience in the Health Security Agency, who are implementing a similar system and have gone live recently. These interactions have been invaluable, fostering a sense of shared purpose.

Looking Ahead: What’s Next for OCIMS

As we approach the implementation stage in 2025 and welcome Conduent as the preferred vendor and its product called Maven, we are looking forward to expanding our knowledge in areas such as branding, change management, user engagement, testing, and training. The OCIMS team are looking forward to contributing further as we advance the OCIMS programme and build a system that will have a meaningful impact on Public Health. If you are curious about the OCIMS ecosystem and would like to learn more, feel free to reach out. I am always happy to share insights and discuss the programme.

Written by: Wendy Hurdryal