Improving Treatment Adherence with Integrated Patient Management for TB Patients in Morocco

Seup Park, Narae Moon, Byungkwon Oh, Miyeon Park, Kilho Kang, Ilham Sentissi and Sung-Heui Bae
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Seup Park: Global Care International, Seoul 08377, Korea
Narae Moon: Global Care International, Seoul 08377, Korea
Byungkwon Oh: Global Care International, Seoul 08377, Korea
Miyeon Park: Global Care International, Seoul 08377, Korea
Kilho Kang: VF Partners, Seoul 06732, Korea
Ilham Sentissi: Chief Public Health Service and Epidemiological Surveillance, Moroccan League Against Tuberculosis (Ligue Marocaine de Lute Contre la Tuberculosis, LMCT), Rabat 10000, Morocco
Sung-Heui Bae: College of Nursing, Graduate Program in System Health Science and Engineering, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 03760, Korea

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 19, 1-12

Abstract: In Morocco, there are challenges in the management of high-risk tuberculosis (TB) patients, including paper-based management and a shortage of healthcare workers related to TB. Additionally, TB management has not been accounted for in various patient types, which affects treatment adherence. This study aims to examine the delivery model of TB management and the outcomes of an integrated patient management system that uses a patient-centered and community-based approach, along with mobile health technology. A total of 3605 TB patients were enrolled in this program in Morocco’s five prefectures (Rabat, Salé, Kénitra, Khemisset, Skhirat–Témara) from January 2018 to December 2019. Patients were managed based on demographic characteristics, socioeconomic status, areas (rural or urban), health literacy levels, and distance to primary health centers. Our mobile health intervention “smart pillbox” was interposed with high-risk TB patients, along with patient education. The rate of successful treatment was 92.2%, which was higher than the national rate (88%). The “lost to follow-up” rate was 4.1%, which was significantly lower than the existing non-adherence rate of 7.9%. Therefore, integrated patient management for TB patients in Morocco is more effective than the existing conventional programs. This comprehensive approach provides an alternative method for countries with limited resources.

Keywords: tuberculosis; mobile health; community-based treatment; program development; success rate; lost to follow-up rate; Morocco (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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