Digital health use in latent tuberculosis infection care: A systematic review

With one-quarter of the world's population estimated to have latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI), it is important that the drop-outs from the LTBI cascade of care are minimized. Digital health technology could play an important role in case detection and treatment adherence. This study aims to evaluate the use and impact of digital health technology in LTBI care.

A systematic literature search was conducted on six electronic databases from database inception until May 31st 2021. Studies that reported on the clinical use or economic analysis of digital health technology for LTBI care were included. Two investigators independently evaluated, extracted relevant studies, and assessed the risk of bias of using the Cochrane tools. The studies were synthesized qualitatively.

Fifteen articles describing 14 studies were included. Voice and/or textual reminders and synchronous video call to improve LTBI treatment adherence were the most commonly examined digital health interventions. Other interventions examined the use of mobile phones to improve the number of patients who returned for tuberculin skin test follow-up measurement (screening retention) and eLearning videos to enhance health literacy in LTBI care. The economic analysis supported the use of textual reminders in LTBI treatment as a cost-effective option for widescale implantation.

Despite limited evidence on the effects of digital health technologies in LTBI, available studies suggest they are at least equivalent to current practice. This means digital health can potentially supplement current practice, to constantly monitor and engage with people undergoing LTBI screening or treatment, as an initiative to ensure the provision of continuous and optimal care to all LTBI-affected individuals.