Sundhedspersonale kan holde øje med tuberkulose-patienter og medicinlagre via programmet TIBU. 250 af landets 290 hospitaler har taget programmet i brug siden november 2012.
NAIROBI, 18 April 2013 (IRIN): The use of technology is revolutionizing the way Kenya manages tuberculosis (TB). Through a computer- and mobile-phone based programme called TIBU, health facilities are able to request TB drugs in real-time and manage TB patient data more effectively, health officials say. They also use the platform to carry out health education.
“One of the challenges we have had with TB treatment is people defaulting [on treatment], but this will reduce significantly because through TIBU we will be able to track down patient treatment progress,” Joseph Sitienei, head of the Division of Leprosy, TB and Lung Disease at Kenya’s National AIDS Control Programme, told IRIN.
“By being able to track a patient, the health workers can send them reminders on their mobile phones when they fail to appear for drug refills,” Sitienei added.
Information sharing
In Kenya, a dearth (mangel) of information on TB among patients and poor management of patient data have always been a challenge.
“People at times default not because they want to but because they lack information, and health facilities do not share patient data and history. Now the government is beginning to appreciate the relevance of technology in managing diseases such as TB,” said Vincent Munada, a clinical officer at the Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi.
Sitienei noted that TIBU – which is Swahili for “treat” – has also helped health facilities better manage drug supplies.
“Initially, health facilities used to request for TB drugs manually, but with this new system, they can ask for the same and the request is relayed to the ministry headquarters immediately. That way, drugs are supplied on time,” he said.
Kenya is ranked at 15 on the UN World Health Organization (WHO) list of 22 countries with the highest TB burden in the world, and it has the fifth-highest TB burden in Africa.
The government says an estimated 250 district hospitals, out of the country’s 290, are using the programme, which was launched in November 2012.
The government is also using the technology to support multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) patients living far from medical facilities, sending money to patients via the Mpesa mobile phone money-transfer system to cover transport costs.
Enormous potential
Læs hele artiklen på IRIN: http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97876/In-Kenya-technology-revolutionizes-TB-management
