ArticleJournal of clinical tuberculosis and other mycobacterial diseases2019
Feasibility of a short message service (SMS) intervention to deliver tuberculosis testing results in peri-urban and rural Uganda.
Article in Journal of clinical tuberculosis and other mycobacterial diseases, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
18 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 25 citations in OpenAlex.
- Implementation strategies to increase the uptake and impact of molecular WHO-recommended rapid diagnostic tests: evidence from a mixed-methods systematic review.BMJ global health · 2025Pooled it
- Using mHealth Technologies for Case Finding in Tuberculosis and Other Infectious Diseases in Africa: Systematic Review.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2024Pooled it
- A mobile health application use among diabetes mellitus patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2024Pooled it
- Direct Access for Patients to Diagnostic Testing and Results Using eHealth: Systematic Review on eHealth and Diagnostics.Journal of medical Internet research · 2022Pooled it
- Closing gaps through innovation in the tuberculosis pathology value chain.Journal of clinical tuberculosis and other mycobacterial diseases · 2026Review
- The impact of mHealth interventions on medication adherence in breast cancer: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials.Journal of pharmaceutical policy and practice · 2026Review
- Effect of SMS Reminders, Telephone Calls, and Transport Incentives on Enhancing the Completion of Tuberculosis Diagnosis and Initiation of Treatment for Diagnosed Patients: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR research protocols · 2025Article
- Beyond diagnostic connectivity: Leveraging digital health technology for the real-time collection and provision of high-quality actionable data on infectious diseases in Uganda.PLOS digital health · 2024Article
- Article
- The trial of sending short message service multidrug-resistant tuberculosis patients in Indonesia: the chance to increase knowledge and motivation.Journal of public health in Africa · 2023Article
- Direct-to-patient digital diagnostics in primary care: Opportunities, challenges, and conditions necessary for responsible digital diagnostics.The European journal of general practice · 2023Article
- Monitored Implementation of COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Screening at Taxi Ranks in Johannesburg, South Africa.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- The Role of GeneXpert MTB/RIF in Reducing Treatment Delay Among Multidrug Resistance Tuberculosis Patients: A Propensity Score Matched Analysis.Infection and drug resistance · 2022Article
- Mobile health applications for disease screening and treatment support in low-and middle-income countries: A narrative review.Heliyon · 2021Review
- Article
- Article
- Implementation science to improve the quality of tuberculosis diagnostic services in Uganda.Journal of clinical tuberculosis and other mycobacterial diseases · 2020Article
- Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
14 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundPre-treatment loss to follow-up is common for patients diagnosed with tuberculosis (TB) in high-burden countries. Delivering test results by Short-Messaging-Service (SMS) is increasingly being considered as a solution, but there is limited information about its feasibility as a public health tool in low resourced settings.
objectiveWe sought to assess the feasibility of utilizing SMS technology to deliver TB test results during routine TB diagnostic evaluation in Uganda.
methodsWe conducted a single arm interventional pilot study at four community health centers in Uganda that referred sputum samples to a district hospital for GeneXpert-MTB/RIF (Xpert) testing (Cepheid, USA). Using existing GxAlert-software (SystemOne,USA), we set up an automated SMS platform to send Xpert results to patients and referring health centers. We assessed each step of the SMS delivery cascade for consecutive patients who presented to these four community health centers between December 2015 and March 2016 and underwent Xpert testing.
resultsOf 233 patients enrolled, 161 (69%) had phone numbers recorded on individual Xpert referral forms. Phone numbers were entered into Xpert device software in the correct format for 152 (94%) patients. GxAlert-software generated an automated SMS reporting Xpert results for 151 (99%) patients and delivered it successfully to mobile phone service providers for 145/151 (96%). Of the 123 patients reached by phone to determine receipt of test results, 114 (93%) confirmed SMS receipt. SMS-based delivery of Xpert results was verified for 114/233 (49%) patients overall. In contrast, phone calls to health centers confirmed that health centers received messages for 222/233 (95%) patients.
conclusionReporting Xpert results via automated SMS is technically feasible and results in approximately half of patients receiving their test results immediately. Additional research should be done to address process inefficiencies in order to maximize impact of this technology and link its successful utilization to improved patient outcomes.
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