Five indicators – that is what personnel who diagnoses tuberculosis in Tamil Nadu to understand the risk of death for a person with tuberculosis. And the tool to do that – a “simple mobile phone application”, which helps the staff of the National TB elimination program (TN) strengthen treatment efforts where it is possible the most needed.
Asha Frederick, State TB officer, says that this ‘triage tool’ was introduced in the background against which this ‘triage tool’ was introduced, says that TB is diagnosed in various environments, including medical colleges, and community centers for the Community of Primary Healthcare. People give their sputum monster and, if the treatment is started, the staff must notice some details, including the weight of the person, because the dosage is adjusted according to weight, she explains. (Triage includes assessing, prioritizing patients who need urgent attention.)
Employees are asked to use the app to map five basic triage indicators, says Frederick: pay attention when registering the weight of the patient to calculate the Body Mass Index (BMI); oxygen saturation; breathlessness and whether the respiratory speed is abnormal/fast; Can the person stand/walk without support and whether there is pedaledema or swollen feet. If all five triage indicators are positive, the patient is advised to be admitted to hospital for about a week, as advised by the doctor. Parallell, the state has also ensured the availability of insulation beds (from COVID-19 times) in government hospitals, she adds.
Modified care model
Hemant D Shewade, Scientist E, Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Epidemiology (ICMR-NIE) voegt eraan toe: “We richten ons alleen op volwassenen met TB, die 90 procent vormen … we zijn geen DRTB (drugsresistente TB)”, omdat, door definitie, iemand met DRTB wordt verwacht, evaluatie van de pre-behandeling bij een DRTB center.
The TB Sewa (severe TB -Wek application) was introduced under TN’s ‘Kasanoi Erappila Thittam’ (Zero Mortality) program about three years ago, says Frederick. With the available data, the “death forecast tool” was developed, thereby focusing the treatment and refined, she says, of the cooperation initiative between state authorities and ICMR-NIE (technical partner). “Our ours is a modified, differentiated TB care model,” she adds.
India accounts for 27 percent (the highest number) Global TB cases and additional/ predictive aids can help the country’s efforts to eliminate this infectious disease.
The system is not without challenges, because patients may not be willing to resolve in the hospital and perhaps prefer to take their medicines at home, she says, adding that they are being advised. With the extra triage function, TB dying figures in the state see a reduction of seven percent in 2023 to around 4.6 percent now, Frederick notes.
More so
Published on July 28, 2025
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