Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37886056›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in public health2023

Comprehensive assessment of invalid and indeterminate results in Truenat MTB-RIF testing across sites under the national TB elimination program of India.

Radha Gopalaswamy, Nishant Kumar, Himanshu Vashistha, Priya Rajendran, Jyoti Kayesth, Carel Joseph Peravali, Satabdi Kashyap, Shreeparna Ghosh, Habakkuk Yumo, Moe Moore and 5 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in public health, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
2.1field-weighted citation impact, top 12% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 11 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Use of reverse dot blot hybridization DNA-array and targeted next-generation sequencing for the detection of drug resistance in patients with tuberculosis: a prospective diagnostic accuracy study.European journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases : official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology · 2026
    Article
  2. Review
  3. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.

Radha GopalaswamyICMR-National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis, Chennai, India.
Nishant KumarCentral Tuberculosis Division, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, New Delhi, India.
Himanshu VashisthaUSAID's Infectious Diseases Detection and Surveillance (IDDS) Project Awarded to Inner City Fund (ICF), Virginia, VA, United States.
Priya RajendranICMR-National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis, Chennai, India.
Jyoti KayesthUSAID's Infectious Diseases Detection and Surveillance (IDDS) Project Awarded to Inner City Fund (ICF), Virginia, VA, United States.
Carel Joseph PeravaliUSAID's Infectious Diseases Detection and Surveillance (IDDS) Project Awarded to Inner City Fund (ICF), Virginia, VA, United States.
Satabdi KashyapUSAID's Infectious Diseases Detection and Surveillance (IDDS) Project Awarded to Inner City Fund (ICF), Virginia, VA, United States.
Shreeparna GhoshUSAID's Infectious Diseases Detection and Surveillance (IDDS) Project Awarded to Inner City Fund (ICF), Virginia, VA, United States.
Habakkuk YumoUSAID's Infectious Diseases Detection and Surveillance (IDDS) Project Awarded to Inner City Fund (ICF), Virginia, VA, United States.
Moe MooreUSAID's Infectious Diseases Detection and Surveillance (IDDS) Project Awarded to Inner City Fund (ICF), Virginia, VA, United States.
Sridhar AnandWorld Health Organization, New Delhi, India.
Ranjani RamachandranWorld Health Organization, New Delhi, India.
Umesh AlavadiUnited States Agency for International Development, New Delhi, India.
Sanjeev SainiUSAID's Infectious Diseases Detection and Surveillance (IDDS) Project Awarded to Inner City Fund (ICF), Virginia, VA, United States.
Sivakumar ShanmugamICMR-National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis, Chennai, India.
National Institute of Research in Tuberculosis · INWorld Health Organization - India · INMinistry of Health and Family Welfare · INUnited States Agency for International Development · US

Funding

World Health Organization 001
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Introduction: Truenat MTB-RIF assay (Truenat), a nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT), is a real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) chip-based assay that can detect Methods: Truenat testing data from 1,690 functional Truenat sites under the NTEP from April to June 2021 were analyzed to assess the rates of errors, invalid MTB results, and indeterminate RIF results. Following this analysis, 12 Truenat sites were selected based on site performance in Truenat testing, diversity of climatic conditions, and geographical terrain. These sites were visited to assess the root causes of their high and low rates of inconclusive results using a structured checklist. Results: A total of 327,649 Truenat tests performed for MTB and RIF testing were analyzed. The rate of invalid MTB results was 5.2% [95% confidence interval (CI): 5.11-5.26; Conclusion: The main causes affecting Truenat testing performance include suboptimal adherence to standard operating procedures (SOPs), inadequate training, improper storage of testing kits, inadequate sputum quality, lack of quality control, and delays in the rectification of machine issues. Root cause analysis identified that strengthening of training, external quality control, and supervision could improve the rate of inconclusive results. Ensuring hands-on training of technicians for Truenat testing and retesting of samples with inconclusive results are major recommendations while planning for Truenat scale-up. The recommendations from the study were consolidated into technical guidance documents and videos and disseminated to laboratory staff working at the tiered network of TB laboratories under the NTEP in order to improve Truenat MTB-RIF testing performance.

Indexed as

Mycobacterium tuberculosisTuberculosis, PulmonaryHumansIndiaRifampinSputumRifampinerrors in Truenat testingMTB invalid/errorsRIF indeterminateRIF indeterminate/errorsroot cause analysisTruenat inconclusive resultsTruenat MTB-RIF testing

Identifiers

PMID37886056
PMCPMC10598606
OpenAlexW4387477485

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.