Publications by authors named "Maureen Lamunu"
99DOTS is a low-cost digital adherence technology that allows people with tuberculosis (TB) to self-report treatment adherence. There are limited data on its implementation, feasibility, and acceptability from sub-Saharan Africa. We conducted a longitudinal analysis and cross-sectional surveys nested within a stepped-wedge randomized trial at 18 health facilities in Uganda between December 2018 and January 2020.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Adherence to and completion of tuberculosis (TB) treatment remain problematic in many high-burden countries. 99DOTS is a low-cost digital adherence technology that could increase TB treatment completion.
Methods And Findings: We conducted a pragmatic stepped-wedge cluster-randomized trial including all adults treated for drug-susceptible pulmonary TB at 18 health facilities across Uganda over 8 months (1 December 2018-31 July 2019).
Article Synopsis
- Low-cost digital adherence technologies (DATs), like 99DOTS, are being tested as alternatives to directly observed therapy (DOT) for supervising tuberculosis (TB) treatment, focusing on the effectiveness and implementation of 99DOTS in Uganda.
- The trial involves around 1,890 adults with drug-susceptible pulmonary TB over eight months, with sites transitioning from DOT to 99DOTS in a staggered manner to evaluate treatment completion rates.
- Ethics approval has been obtained, and results will be shared through publications and presentations to relevant stakeholders to inform future TB treatment practices.
Variation in tuberculosis treatment outcomes and treatment supervision practices in Uganda.
J Clin Tuberc Other Mycobact Dis
December 2020
Background: Variation in healthcare delivery is increasingly recognized as an important metric of healthcare quality. Directly observed therapy (DOT) has been the standard of care for tuberculosis (TB) treatment supervision for decades based on World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. However, variation in implementation of DOT and associated TB treatment supervision practices remains poorly defined.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Leprosy remains a significant public health issue in Uganda, affecting 40% of districts, with a monitoring period from 2012 to 2016 highlighting the disease's persistence.
- Analysis of case-finding data showed a 7% annual decline in reported leprosy cases, particularly in the eastern (14%/year) and central (11%/year) regions, while the western and northern regions showed no significant changes.
- Despite the overall decrease, 70% of new cases from the most-affected districts were concentrated in the northern region, suggesting the need for targeted control measures.