Abstract
Setting: GxAlert is an automatic electronic notification service that provides immediate Xpert® MTB/RIF testing results. It was implemented for the notification of patients with rifampicin resistant-tuberculosis (RR-TB) atPort Moresby General Hospital, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, in May 2015.
Objective: To determine if there were differences in pre-treatment attrition, the time to treatment initiation and patient outcomes in the 12 months pre- and post-introduction of GxAlert for RR-TB patients.
Design: This was a retrospective cohort study.
Results: The median time from Xpert testing to treatment initiation decreased from 35 days [IQR 13–131] prior to GxAlert to 10 days [IQR 3–29] after GxAlert (P =0.001), with the cumulative proportion of patients initiating treatment within 30 days increasing from 25% (95%CI 17–37) to 54% (95%CI 44–64; P < 0.001) over these periods. However, our analysis of the time to treatment prior to the introduction of GxAlert suggests that a decrease had already occurred prior to implementation. There was no difference in interim clinical outcomes between the periods.
Conclusion: Although a decrease in time to treatment initiation cannot be attributed to GxAlert, there was a significant improvement over the 2-year period, suggesting that considerable improvements have been made intimely RR-TB patient management in Port Moresby
Objective: To determine if there were differences in pre-treatment attrition, the time to treatment initiation and patient outcomes in the 12 months pre- and post-introduction of GxAlert for RR-TB patients.
Design: This was a retrospective cohort study.
Results: The median time from Xpert testing to treatment initiation decreased from 35 days [IQR 13–131] prior to GxAlert to 10 days [IQR 3–29] after GxAlert (P =0.001), with the cumulative proportion of patients initiating treatment within 30 days increasing from 25% (95%CI 17–37) to 54% (95%CI 44–64; P < 0.001) over these periods. However, our analysis of the time to treatment prior to the introduction of GxAlert suggests that a decrease had already occurred prior to implementation. There was no difference in interim clinical outcomes between the periods.
Conclusion: Although a decrease in time to treatment initiation cannot be attributed to GxAlert, there was a significant improvement over the 2-year period, suggesting that considerable improvements have been made intimely RR-TB patient management in Port Moresby
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | S19-S24 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Public Health Action |
| Volume | 9 |
| Issue number | Supplement 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 21 Sep 2019 |