This app for tuberculosis increases odds of patients completing treatment

Published on September 25, 2019

This app for tuberculosis increases odds of patients completing treatment

A stock broker's fingers feverishly key in the day's proceedings on a computer keyboard, at a brokerage firm in Bombay May 19, 2004. Indian financial markets rose for a second straight day on Wednesday on growing hopes that a former finance minister, tipped to be the new prime minister, will carry forward economic reforms that he first introduced in 1991. OFFPO REUTERS/Sherwin Crasto  SC/ - RP4DRIIEHOAA
After the experimental intervention, only 4 percent of tuberculosis patients had unsuccessful treatment outcomes. For comparison, 13 percent of patients in a control group, who did not use the platform, didn't finish their treatment.
Image: REUTERS/Sherwin Crasto SC/ - RP4DRIIEHOAA

Keheala - a health platform for the tuberculosis patients that works on “feature phones”. Among other things, the program sent daily messages to patients asking them to verify that they were sticking to their medical routines.

 

Written by Peter Dizikes, Writer, MIT News Office

This article is published in collaboration with MIT News.

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/09/researchers-new-method-of-beating-tuberculosis-is-surprisingly-simple/