Call for Increased Patient Support Focus: Review and Evaluation of Mobile Apps for Tuberculosis Prevention and Treatment

Abstract

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major global public health problem and is a leading killer due to an infectious disease. Mobile applications (apps) could support TB prevention and treatment. App stores were searched and of the 1332 reviewed 24 met our inclusion criteria. For each app 11 functionalities were assessed. The majority were targeted towards clinicians (n=17), few patient focused (n=4). Most had fewer than 4 functions out of 11, inform and record being the highest. Peer reviewed publications were identified for 2 of the apps and 3 apps in testing stage were found in the grey literature. Apps for TB prevention and treatment had minimal functionality, primarily targeted clinicians, and focused on information or data collection. None were for patient self-management of care and treatment or to improve patient-provider interactions. Identifying TB patient needs and involving them in the design phase is recommended.