Scaling up the use of digital technologies to support End TB Strategy implementation
30 May 2017 | GENEVA - The latest guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO) on TB treatment, emphasize the importance of digital technologies in supporting the implementation of the End TB Strategy. The guidelines contain the first-ever WHO evidence-based recommendations on the use of phones, video or electronic medication monitors to help patients adhere to TB medication and deliver TB care.
Recognizing the future scope and opportunities offered by
digital technologies, the WHO Global TB Programme and the
European Respiratory Society (ERS) have been working together
since 2015, to raise the profile of digital technologies
(eHealth and mHealth) as a means to support national programmes
worldwide to advance response to TB and reach the targets set in
the End TB Strategy.
A joint WHO/ERS consultation held in Geneva on 7-8 February 2017
- focused on the theme
“Digital health for the End TB strategy: progress since
2015 and future perspectives” - concluded that as the evidence and experience on the use of
digital health for TB increases, further investment and bold
action is needed for improved TB care and prevention. The
newly released report
of the consultation described the discussions held during the
consultation on the state of the evidence for the effectiveness
and efficiency of common digital health approaches to improve TB
treatment adherence, the implementation of priority technologies
in TB prevention and care, and novel approaches and constructs
that can influence TB efforts in future. The consultation
brought together 60 experts from a broad cross-section of
technical expertise in TB and other disease programmes, digital
health, evidence review, laboratory science, and programme
management, as well as funding agencies and end-users.
“Digital technologies can catapult the TB response to the
next level”, said Dr Mario Raviglione, Director of the WHO
Global TB Programme. “We look forward to the WHO Global
Ministerial Conference on ending TB being held in Moscow in
November 2017 and the UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting on
TB in 2018 which will be critical to generate the top-level
political commitment needed to back bold initiatives of
programme managers, technical agencies and donors to invest in
innovative digital technologies to help combat
TB.”
Professor Guy Joos, President of the ERS stated that “the
European Respiratory Society is proud to be among the leading
professional bodies in respiratory health to support WHO and
countries to implement novel technologies and to improve the
quality of research to the benefit of our patients”.
Presentations made at the February 2017 technical
consultation and the meeting report are available on the WHO
website dedicated to digital health for TB.
Click
here
to view the Meeting Report -
Digital health for the End TB Strategy: progress since 2015
and future perspectives
Source: WHO Global TB Program
