Evaluation of a new mobile application developed for tuberculosis patients: a prospective observational study from Turkey.

OBJECTIVE

A new mobile application for video directly observed treatment (vDOT) was developed and implemented for tuberculosis (TB) patients in Turkey in 2023. This study evaluated its features and analyzed one-year user data.

METHODS

A prospective observational study was conducted between 1 February 2023, and 31 January 2024, with 115 voluntary TB patients who met the inclusion criteria. Additionally, a satisfaction/adherence questionnaire prepared by the researchers was administered via telephone to 95 individuals who voluntarily used vDOT through the mobile application.

FINDINGS: During the study period, a total of 12,839 videos were approved, with an average of 111.6 videos uploaded per patient. The average duration of vDOT use was 15.7 weeks. The median number of vDOT use days was 23.0, and in the last six months of the study, the number of vDOT use days was equal to or above the median. According to the satisfaction/adherence questionnaire, 72.6% of patients perceived the mobile application to be easy to use, and 94.7% stated that vDOT protected their privacy better than face-to-face monitoring. Patients with higher education levels, those living in city centers, and those owning a personal smartphone were significantly more likely to find the mobile application easy to use (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

This study revealed high usage rates for the mobile application, which was developed for vDOT and implemented as a telemedicine solution for the first time in Turkey. Additionally, the results on ease of use and satisfaction/adherence suggest that the mobile application can be used positively by the majority of patients.