Our commitment to advancing Tuberculosis diagnostics was reinforced recently as Dr. Myburg delivered an impactful oral presentation at the highly regarded EDCTP Forum in Kigali, Rwanda.
Dr. Hanlie Myburg Presents Groundbreaking Research from CAGE-TB at the 12th EDCTP Forum.
The presentation was part of a parallel session on development and implementation of innovative TB diagnostics, and focused on research conducted with healthcare providers in Cape Town and Kampala, in which we explored their perspectives on screening for TB with an mHealth application. This work contributes towards understanding the acceptability and feasibility of such tools. We found that healthcare providers shared enthusiasm for a cough-audio-based TB screening tool and recognised its potential to facilitate case finding and reduce time to diagnosis, also considering possibilities for a community use case. Some of this excitement was tempered by the realities and practicalities of facility-level TB screening processes however, which highlights that effective implementation will require close attention to existing facility-level TB screening and triage practices, app hygiene and infection control measures (related to the device and the location to cough), and placement/use, as well as available technological infrastructure.
The presentation centred on a pivotal study from our CAGE-TB Project, titled
“Healthcare Provider Perspectives on a Smartphone Application for Cough Sound-Based TB Triage: Findings from Qualitative Implementation Research in 4-CAGE-TB.”
Dr. Hanlie Myburg
Social ScientistParticipating in the EDCTP Forum allowed us to not only share our vital research but also to engage with the global community of innovation experts, fostering discussions that will undoubtedly shape the future direction of our work. We are excited about the potential impact of these findings and the collaborations that may arise from this presentation as we continue to push the boundaries of TB diagnostics.