The international journal of tuberculosis and lung disease : the official journal of the International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease
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Int. J. Tuberc. Lung Dis. · Jun 2013
ReviewMobile health to improve tuberculosis care and control: a call worth making.
The use of mobile phones has substantially increased throughout the world over the last decade. This has opened up opportunities for the integration of mobile phones as health intervention tools in many aspects of health care, including prevention, diagnosis, data collection, treatment and adherence monitoring and surveillance. Several applications have been explored in human immunodeficiency virus care. ⋯ This article summarizes publications and recent developments at the intersection of TB care and m-health. We show that more rigorous studies evaluating different applications and implementation strategies are needed to establish an evidence base that serves to inform policy and decision making. We outline further areas of research that should be addressed and potential challenges that lie ahead if m-health applications are to enhance the accessibility and quality of TB care.
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Int. J. Tuberc. Lung Dis. · Jun 2013
Epidemiology and control of tuberculosis in Victoria, a low-burden state in south-eastern Australia, 2005-2010.
Victoria, Australia. ⋯ TB in Victoria remains low by global standards and continues to overwhelmingly affect the overseas-born population. Current TB control strategies in Victoria are effective, but strengthened control in high-burden countries will also improve TB control locally.
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Int. J. Tuberc. Lung Dis. · May 2013
ReviewChronic obstructive pulmonary disease in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major global health problem. Although COPD is the sixth most common cause of mortality in low- and middle-income countries, most research comes from high-income countries. We set out to systematically review existing published research on COPD in sub-Saharan Africa to identify knowledge gaps and opportunities for further research. ⋯ There is little existing research on COPD in sub-Saharan Africa. Prevalence estimates varied, reflecting the range of populations studied, inconsistent diagnostic criteria and variable methods and methodological quality. Population-representative studies using appropriate case definitions are needed to define the epidemiology of COPD in sub-Saharan Africa and to inform the development of prevention and management strategies for the future.
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Int. J. Tuberc. Lung Dis. · May 2013
Validation of a scoring tool to predict drug-resistant pathogens in hospitalised pneumonia patients.
Health care-associated pneumonia (HCAP) affects a heterogeneous group of patients in frequent contact with health care systems. However, HCAP criteria poorly predict infection with drug-resistant (DR) pathogens. ⋯ According to current HCAP criteria, half of the HCAP patients were treated unnecessarily with broad-spectrum antibiotics. Risk scoring by stratifying risk factors could improve the identification of patients likely to be infected with DR pathogens.