By Krish Kapoor Active Case Findings & Patient Retention in Tuberculosis by Manvi Poddar
Thesis Statement:
The redesign of the national Tuberculosis patient management web system (NIKSHAY) to expand its range of features with the goal of improving case detection, patient retention, and reducing the workload of health visitors employed in Tuberculosis care in Mumbai. This project on Patient Retention and Tuberculosis was conducted during a four-month engagement experience with the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health – India Research Center.
In response to the growing epidemic of Drug-susceptible and Drug-resistant Tuberculosis (TB) in India, the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health –
India Research Center established it’s project initiative on Patient Retention and Tuberculosis to assess challenges faced by TB Health Visitors in districts located in Mumbai.
The ability of health visitors to effectively identify those with Tuberculosis and ensure that they are completing treatment is a critical component in the attempt to reduce the incidence and prevalence of this disease in India. Through qualitative assessments, the project aims to gain an understanding of the barriers that health visitor’s face in their daily work.
The understanding of these barriers allows for the development of an intervention that can improve case identification, treatment retention, and reduce the workload of Health Visitors.
By conducting a systematic analysis of the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme 2017 – 2015 and it’s web enabled patient management system for TB control – NIKSHAY, the design intervention proposes the redesign of the features in this app.
The recommended intervention expands the scope of the existing features in NIKSHAY to accelerate a collaborative effort that empowers, educates, and facilitates the needs of patients, health visitors, and the community.
