Exposure notification: benefits and challenges of smartphone applications to augment contact tracing : report to Congressional addressees
- Collection:
- Health Policy and Services Research
- Contributor(s):
- United States. Government Accountability Office. issuing body. United States. Congress. issuing body.
- Publication:
- Washington, DC : United States Government Accountability Office, September 2021
- Language(s):
- English
- Format:
- Text
- Subject(s):
- Contact Tracing -- instrumentation Government Regulation Smartphone -- instrumentation Software -- statistics & numerical data United States
- Genre(s):
- Technical Report
- Abstract:
- Why GAO did this study.With the emergence and rapid global spread of COVID-19, smartphone apps have been developed to supplement manual contact tracing, which is a public health measure used to slow the spread of infectious disease. GAO was asked to conduct a technology assessment of exposure notification apps. This report discusses (1) the benefits of exposure notification apps; (2) the current level of deployment in the U.S.; (3) challenges affecting their use; and (4) policy options that may help address these challenges for future use. To address these objectives, GAO reviewed agency documentation, met with officials from several federal agencies, and conducted a review of technical and policy literature. GAO also interviewed representatives from companies involved in the development of exposure notification apps, public health organizations, federally funded research and development centers, and academic researchers. In addition, GAO analyzed information from a selection of states. GAO is identifying policy options in this report. GAO received technical comments on a draft of this report from five federal agencies and five organizations included in the review, which it incorporated as appropriate.
- Copyright:
- The National Library of Medicine believes this item to be in the public domain. (More information)
- Extent:
- 1 online resource (1 PDF file (iii, 54 pages, 4 unnumbered pages))
- Illustrations:
- Illustrations
- NLM Unique ID:
- 9918317488706676 (See catalog record)
- Permanent Link:
- http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/9918317488706676