Using SMS Reminders, Phone Calls and Money Incentives to Enhance Linkage to Care of Presumptive TB Patients in Uganda

Brief summary (registry, in English)

The major challenge in meeting the WHO's End TB Strategy- reducing tuberculosis (TB) deaths by 90% and incidence by 80% is the cascading patient loss-to-follow-up (LTFU) along the continuum of TB care. A systematic review found high levels of pre-treatment LTFU-ranging from 4 to 38%, and was higher in sub-Saharan Africa (18%) compared to Asia (13%). Consequences of pre-diagnosis and pre-treatment LTFU are; untreated TB patients are infectious and can transmit TB to others and not starting TB treatment at all, causes high morbidity and mortality. Therefore, monitoring outcomes of presumptive TB patients is equally important as monitoring treatment outcomes. Short message service (SMS), phone calls and mobile money (MM) incentives have shown promise by improving health outcomes such as uptake of immunization, adherence to TB treatment and antiretroviral therapy (ART). However, there is limited knowledge their effect in increasing linkage to care and treatment for presumptive TB patients in Uganda and sub-Saharan Africa. The aim of this study is therefore to leverage SMS reminders, phone call and MM incentives in improving linkage to care of presumptive TB patients. This will be a five arm multi-center individual randomized controlled trial implemented in selected high-volume health facilities in Uganda among 1548 presumptive TB patients. The study population will be presumptive TB patients aged 18 years and above identified within the study facilities who do not complete TB diagnosis same day. Completion of TB diagnosis will refer to submitting a sample and obtaining results from the test. Our hypothesis is that using SMS reminders, phone call and Mobile Money incentives will result in increase in the proportion of presumptive TB patients that complete diagnosis and pre-treatment TB cases that initiate treatment.

What you commit to

• Study type: Interventional
• Participants enrolled: 2355
• From 14 Aug 2023 to the primary completion date, 31 May 2024
• 5 sites in 1 country
• Visits and tests: ask the trial team, the registry does not list them

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Who cannot take part

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Who the study is looking for

Age in the registry: 18 years to 65 years · Sex: All · Does not accept healthy volunteers

Full criteria on ClinicalTrials.gov

Sites (5)

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