Marx, F. M., Meehan, S-A., Jivan, D., Dunbar, R., Hoddinott, G., Hesseling, A. C. and Osman, Muhammad ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3818-9729 (2022) Use of interactive messaging to reduce pre-diagnosis loss to follow-up for TB care. The International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, 26 (1):7. pp. 26-32. ISSN 1027-3719 (Print), 1815-7920 (Online) (doi:10.5588/ijtld.21.0332)

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Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the uptake and usage of a WhatsApp-based interactive communication strategy to avert pre-diagnosis loss to follow-up (LTFU) from TB care in a high-incidence setting.
METHODS: We enrolled adults (≥18 years) who underwent routine sputum TB testing in two primary healthcare clinics in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, South Africa. The intervention consisted of structured WhatsApp-based reminders (prompts) sent prior to a routine clinic appointment scheduled 2–3 days after the diagnostic visit. Pre-diagnosis LTFU was defined as failure to return for the scheduled appointment and within 10 days.
RESULTS: We approached 332 adults with presumptive TB, of whom 103 (31%) were successfully enrolled; 213 (64%) did not own a WhatsApp-compatible phone. Of 103 participants, 74 (72%) actively responded to WhatsApp prompts; 69 (67%) opted to include a close contact in group communication to co-receive reminders. Pre-diagnosis LTFU was low overall (n = 7, 6.8%) and was not associated with failure to respond to WhatsApp prompts.
CONCLUSION: In this high-incidence setting, enrolment in a WhatsApp-based communication intervention among adults with presumptive TB was low, mainly due to low availability of WhatsApp-compatible phones. Among participants, we observed high message response rates and low LTFU, suggesting potential for interactive messaging services to support pre-diagnosis TB care.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	South Africa; WhatsApp; digital health tools; loss to follow-up; tuberculosis
Subjects:	Q Science > QA Mathematics > QA76 Computer software R Medicine > R Medicine (General)
Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group:	Faculty of Education, Health & Human Sciences Faculty of Education, Health & Human Sciences > Institute for Lifecourse Development Faculty of Education, Health & Human Sciences > Institute for Lifecourse Development > Centre for Vulnerable Children and Families Faculty of Education, Health & Human Sciences > School of Human Sciences (HUM)
Last Modified:	13 Sep 2022 13:48
URI:	http://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/37470

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