ArticlePLoS neglected tropical diseases2021
Adaptation and performance of a mobile application for early detection of cutaneous leishmaniasis.
Article in PLoS neglected tropical diseases, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 22 citations in OpenAlex.
- Mapping the Burden of Tegumentary Leishmaniasis in South America: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Tropical medicine & international health : TM & IH · 2025Pooled it
- Randomized trial evaluating an mHealth intervention for the early community-based detection and follow-up of cutaneous leishmaniasis in rural Colombia.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2023Trial
- Hiding in plain sight: A call to prevent cutaneous leishmaniasis transmission in the United States.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2026Review
- Feasibility study of an AI-powered mobile app to support cutaneous leishmaniasis diagnosis in the Brazilian Amazon.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2026Article
- Current state and future directions of interventions for neglected tropical diseases.Nature human behaviour · 2025Review
- Lesionia: a digital data management system to enhance collaborative management of epidemiological and clinical data of cutaneous leishmaniases patients.BMC research notes · 2025Article
- Implementation of a marketing plan for the dissemination of the WHO SkinNTDs app in Cameroon.PloS one · 2025Article
- Diagnosing skin neglected tropical diseases with the aid of digital health tools: A scoping review.PLOS digital health · 2024Article
- Evaluating the World Health Organization's SkinNTDs App as a Training Tool for Skin Neglected Tropical Diseases in Ghana and Kenya: Cross-Sectional Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2024Article
- mHealth Monitoring of Treatment of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Patients: A Community-Based Implementation Study.The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene · 2023Article
- The Vinyasa Tool for mHealth Solutions: Supporting Human-Centered Design in Nascent Digital Health Ecosystems.JMIR formative research · 2023Article
- Mutual Role of Patients and the Healthcare System in the Control of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis.Transboundary and emerging diseases · 2023Review
- Community Engagement in Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Research in Brazil, Ethiopia, and Sri Lanka: A Decolonial Approach for Global Health.Frontiers in public health · 2022Article
- Data management plan for a community-level study of the hidden burden of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Colombia.BMC research notes · 2021Article
- Image Processing for mHealth-Based Approach to Detect the Local Tissue Inflammation in Cutaneous Leishmaniasis: A Proof of Concept Study.Computational and mathematical methods in medicine · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
15 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundDetection and management of neglected tropical diseases such as cutaneous leishmaniasis present unmet challenges stemming from their prevalence in remote, rural, resource constrained areas having limited access to health services. These challenges are frequently compounded by armed conflict or illicit extractive industries. The use of mobile health technologies has shown promise in such settings, yet data on outcomes in the field remain scarce.
methodsWe adapted a validated prediction rule for the presumptive diagnosis of CL to create a mobile application for use by community health volunteers. We used human-centered design practices and agile development for app iteration. We tested the application in three rural areas where cutaneous leishmaniasis is endemic and an urban setting where patients seek medical attention in the municipality of Tumaco, Colombia. The application was assessed for usability, sensitivity and inter-rater reliability (kappa) when used by community health volunteers (CHV), health workers and a general practitioner, study physician.
resultsThe application was readily used and understood. Among 122 screened cases with cutaneous ulcers, sensitivity to detect parasitologically proven CL was >95%. The proportion of participants with parasitologically confirmed CL was high (88%), precluding evaluation of specificity, and driving a high level of crude agreement between the app and parasitological diagnosis. The chance-adjusted agreement (kappa) varied across the components of the risk score. Time to diagnosis was reduced significantly, from 8 to 4 weeks on average when CHV conducted active case detection using the application, compared to passive case detection by health facility-based personnel.
conclusionsTranslating a validated prediction rule to a mHealth technology has shown the potential to improve the capacity of community health workers and healthcare personnel to provide opportune care, and access to health services for underserved populations. These findings support the use of mHealth tools for NTD research and healthcare.
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