Open AccessUsing a mobile application to improve pediatric presumptive TB identification in western Kenya
Author(s) -
Daria Szkwarko,
James Akiruga Amisi,
Dawn Taylor Peterson,
S. Burudi,
Patrick Angala,
E. J. Carter
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
the international journal of tuberculosis and lung disease/the international journal of tuberculosis and lung disease. articles traduits en français ...
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.103
H-Index - 110
eISSN - 1815-7920
pISSN - 1027-3719
DOI - 10.5588/ijtld.20.0890
Subject(s) - medicine , pediatrics , case finding , intervention (counseling) , tuberculosis , health care , disease , incidence (geometry) , family medicine , environmental health , nursing , pathology , economics , economic growth , physics , optics
BACKGROUND: Early recognition of TB symptoms in children is critical in order to link children to appropriate testing and treatment. Healthcare workers (HCWs) in high TB burden countries are often overburdened with competing clinical priorities, leading to incomplete presumptive TB screening. We assessed if implementing a community health volunteer (CHV) led presumptive pediatric TB mobile android application (PPTBMAPP) in pediatric outpatient, primary care clinics in western Kenya would be feasible, appropriate, and effective. METHODS: We used a mixed-methods participatory, iterative approach to design and implement the PPTBMAPP during a 6-month period. We compared the proportion of children identified in presumptive TB and active TB disease registers out of all patients before and after the implementation of the intervention. RESULTS: Of the 1787 children aged ≤15 years screened using the PPTBMAPP, 376 (21%) met the criteria for presumptive TB. There was a statistically significant increase in the proportion of children to all patients in the presumptive TB registers (97/908, 10.7% vs. 160/989, 16.2%; P = 0.0005), and a trend towards an increase in the proportion of children to all patients in the TB case register (17/117, 14.5% vs. 15/83, 18.1%; P = 0.5). HCWs interviewed commented that the application sped up the presumptive TB screening process. CONCLUSION: Our CHV-led mobile screening intervention significantly increased presumptive TB notification. HCWs reported that the mobile screening intervention was feasible, appropriate, and effective.