Trial reportPloS one2025
Enhancing tuberculosis treatment support: A thematic analysis of interactive messages in a digital adherence technology trial to identify needs, challenges, and strategies for improvement.
Trial report in PloS one, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
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.
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.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- User needs and design opportunities for a conversational agent for tuberculosis treatment: A mixed-methods study.PLOS digital health · 2026Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundDigital adherence technologies (DATs) offer promising solutions for monitoring and supporting adherence to complex treatment regimens, including tuberculosis (TB) treatment. However, better understanding is needed of how users engage with DATs and how engagement influences their effectiveness, particularly in real-world settings and among underserved populations.
objectiveAssess user engagement with the Companion app within the Tuberculosis Treatment Support Tools (TB-TST) intervention and explore the types of interactions that promote treatment adherence and address patients' needs.
methodsSecure message threads (N = 255) were analyzed as part of a four-site pragmatic clinical trial evaluating the effectiveness of the TB-TST intervention. Pragmatic thematic analysis was applied to chat logs between patients and treatment supporters (TSs) to identify key themes related to application utilization, treatment adherence, technical challenges, and communication patterns.
resultsKey themes that emerged included: experiences of living with TB; COVID-19 pandemic impact; symptom guidance, healthcare coordination, and treatment and intervention adherence and technical issues. Patients frequently sought advice on how to integrate TB treatment into their daily lives, manage side effects, and cope with emotional distress. The communication styles of TSs varied, with personalized and empathetic interactions leading to better patient acceptance. Technical issues and difficulties accessing phone credit and connectivity challenges were barriers to intervention adherence. Recommendations from this analysis emphasize the need for personalized communication, streamlined adherence reporting, timely symptom guidance, expanded mental health support, and improved healthcare coordination to strengthen the intervention.
conclusionThis study highlights the importance of personalized, empathetic communication, and reliable technology to enhance the effectiveness of DATs. Future DAT solutions should prioritize technological reliability and the human elements of care. Interventions must be adaptable, user-friendly, and capable of addressing diverse patient needs, including offering emotional support and empowering individuals with limited digital literacy.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.