An Evaluation Report on eCompliance and eDetection was submitted by a High Level Committee appointed by the Government of India. It consisted of a Senior Epidemiologist, National TB Research Institute of India and State TB Officer of Rajasthan. This team evaluated Operation ASHA’s program in Bhiwandi, in Maharashtra. Full Report can be read here
Important comments of this Committee are given below.
‘Detection rate of Operation ASHA is 240 patients/ year/ 100,000 population.’ This is 2.4 times higher than average detection in the country and 1.6 times higher than the WHO benchmark. Key reason for better achievement by Operation ASHA is Active Case Finding. This is done with the support of eDetection software.
All patients who were detected by Operation ASHA were enrolled in the treatment with ZERO initial default. This means, all patients were put on treatment. In contrast, initial default across India is 18%. So many patients are not put in treatment by the Government/ other NGOs, even after detection. They go on infecting others. Their own condition also worsens, leading to complications and avoidable deaths (http://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1002149)
Treatment Success Rate of patients treated by Operation ASHA is 88%. In contrast, TSR across India is 74%. Based on third party validations, no other organization has ever achieved even 80% TSR. (http://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1002149)
Government TB staff and physicians are very happy with the results and the technology.
eCompliance promotes “digital health for the end TB strategy – an agenda for action” notified by WHO.
‘eCompliance should be expanded to slums across the country, especially for relapse/ lost to follow up in the past and drug resistant patients’ (these patients are usually much more difficult to treat and have lower treatment success rate/ adherence than others).
