SELFTB
Electronic pillbox-enabled self-administered therapy versus standard directly observed therapy for tuberculosis medication adherence and treatment outcomes in Ethiopia (SELFTB)
Background: To address the multifaceted challenges associated with tuberculosis (TB) in-person directly observed therapy (DOT), the World Health Organization recently recommended that countries maximize the use of digital adherence technologies. Sub-Saharan Africa needs to investigate the effectiveness of such technologies in local contexts and proactively contribute to global decisions around patient-centered TB care. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of pillbox-enabled self-administered therapy (SAT) compared to standard DOT on adherence to TB medication and treatment outcomes in Ethiopia. It also aims to assess the usability, acceptability, and cost-effectiveness of the intervention from the patient and provider perspectives.
Expected outcome: The study will provide evidence of whether pillbox-enabled SAT is superior to the standard DOT for medication adherence and treatment outcomes. If effective, this approach could substantially improve adherence to treatment, increase sputum conversion, reduce patient-side costs due to daily DOT, and improve quality of life. It could also have a strong public health impact by reducing transmission of the disease to healthcare providers and the community at large as the approach can reduce patients’ daily travels to healthcare facilities for in-person DOT.
Funding:
The Fogarty International Center and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the U.S. National Institutes of Health under Award Number D43TW009127
Trial registration:
ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04216420.