BACKGROUND

Pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) remains a global health concern with high morbidity and mortality rates. Despite being curable with proper treatment, challenges in ensuring continuity of care persist, particularly in resource-limited settings. Digital health interventions (DHI) offer a potential solution to improve treatment adherence and continuity of care among TB patients.

PURPOSE

This study aimed to systematically review how DHIs contribute to improved continuity of care, particularly in terms of medication adherence, clinical outcomes, and patient satisfaction.

METHODS

A systematic review was conducted using PRISMA guidelines. Relevant studies were identified from five significant databases, including PubMed, Scopus, Taylor and Francis, EBSCO-host, and ScienceDirect, up to November 2024 and one search engine was Google Scholar. The keywords used were "pulmonary tuberculosis OR tbc OR tb AND mobile health applications OR mhealth OR mobile apps OR telehealth AND continuity of care OR patient compliance OR patient adherence OR adherence behaviour. Inclusion criteria focused on RCTs evaluating DHIs for adult TB patients. Data were extracted and analyzed thematically to assess intervention effectiveness on medication adherence and clinical outcomes.

RESULTS

A total of 17.380 patients from 21 studies TB patients were included. Interventions were classified into two categories: reminder-based (eg, SMS, phone calls, electronic medicine boxes with audio/visual alerts) and remote monitoring-based (eg, MERM, mobile applications, digital sensors, and VDOT). Compared to standard care, DHIs significantly improved medication adherence, treatment success rates, and patient satisfaction. Several studies also reported reduced time and cost burdens for patients.

CONCLUSION

DHIs improve continuity of care among TB patients by increasing medication adherence and clinical outcomes. However, the effectiveness varies across different intervention types and settings, emphasizing the need for tailored strategies and integration into existing health systems.