In collaboration with health consultants, KIT Royal Tropical Institute developed an analysis method and monitoring and evaluation tools for measuring the effectiveness of tuberculosis detection innovations.
Improving case detection in poor and vulnerable populations
Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Globally more than three million people with TB remain undiagnosed each year. This situation will not change without increased efforts and diverse targeted strategies.
TB REACH is a funding mechanism that aims to increase early TB case detection in poor and vulnerable populations. It supports the development and piloting of new strategies and tools to improve identification and treatment. So far over one hundred pilot projects have been funded and more are planned.
KIT monitors and evaluates the results of these initiatives. We also analyse the combined effects of the pilot schemes and draw lessons for future projects. A crucial aspect of this is enabling project managers to evaluate their own results and adapt their initiatives accordingly.
“I was raised as a doctor believing my responsibility was to provide good tuberculosis treatment and that patients would come and seek my help. Since this project I discovered that so many patients are missed without me making an effort in reaching out.”
Examples of innovations in TB care and prevention:
- New technologies (especially diagnostics)
- Novel service access strategies
- New modes of collaboration between the public and private sectors
- Adapted approaches for key high risk populations e.g. children, migrants and prisoners
“This project has sparked people’s awareness of the severe health problems in prisons. Clearly, dying of drug resistant tuberculosis is not supposed to be part of the punishment.”
Once a year, those with active grants are brought together to improve their skills in monitoring and evaluation and to share knowledge and experiences on successful and unsuccessful projects and innovations. A great number of publications and presentations have emerged which have contributed to global policy, for example International Guidance on Systematic Screening for Active Tuberculosis.