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Abstract
PROBLEM: SEDRIC, a foodborne outbreak response management and visualization platform, was created in 2010 to alleviate burdens investigating multistate foodborne outbreaks. CDC has used SEDRIC for 10 years, but it has never been evaluated for user acceptance, satisfaction, process improvement, or increased knowledge gained through user training. METHODS: A mixed methods approach to evaluate SEDRIC user satisfaction and acceptance and the SEDRIC training program was employed. A survey was used to identify scores of acceptability, satisfaction, flexibility, and usability. This survey also collected self-reported time SEDRIC saves users each week, along with qualitative comments on these components. Key informant interviews are used to illustrate process improvement changes and attitudes related to the SEDRIC training program from SEDRIC users before and after SEDRIC was implemented. Finally, a pre-test and paired post-test were employed to calculate the difference in scores after users completed a SEDRIC training. Paired t-tests identified if the change in scores were significant, and one-way ANOVA tests were used to determine if a set of defined variables had impacted score differences.
RESULTS: Seventy-one percent of users were satisfied with usability of SEDRIC and 64% were satisfied with the overall system. Only 45% of users found SEDRIC flexible to their needs, but they reported that SEDRIC saved them an average of 5.7 hours a week compared to their workflows before SEDRIC was implemented. Tasks that could take 2-4 hours prior to SEDRIC implementation were reduced to five minutes or less. After attending a SEDRIC training, users significantly improved their scores an average of seven points. There was also a significant difference in users that had attended previous trainings. Users found the training program to be well-paced and well-guided based on experience level.
CONCLUSIONS: SEDRIC helped users save time in their workflows for outbreak response-related tasks, saving them an average of 14% of their workweek. The SEDRIC training program helps users become proficient with SEDRIC and outbreak response, reducing the hours and resources needed to answer outbreak-related questions. The success of the SEDRIC system can be leveraged to aid other outbreak response systems looking to improve their efficiency, usability, and satisfaction.