Uganda continues to face a high burden of tuberculosis (TB), with the disease incidence remaining fairly constant at around 198 cases per 100,000 per year with a significant proportion of cases going undiagnosed. To address this challenge of missed TB cases, a TB Community Awareness, Screening and Testing (CAST-TB) model has been adopted to empower communities to take control of their health. This approach has already shown positive results in improving case detection and treatment outcomes.
Ongoing efforts to digitize health service delivery in Uganda presents an opportunity to further strengthen the CAST-TB model by leveraging on existing digital technologies. The World Alliance for Lung and Intensive Care Medicine in Uganda (WALIMU) is working with Uganda’s National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control Programme (NTLP) and other partners to implement the Re-Imagining TB Care Project, this initiative is designed to use digital tools to overcome TB diagnostic and treatment barriers.
As part of this project, 3 systems have been integrated to support TB community care delivery:
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The Electronic Community Health Information System (eCHIS) enables Village Health Teams (VHTs) to screen for TB, collect lab samples, refer patients and follow up patients on treatment. Using the barcode feature, VHTs are able to mark sputum bottles with unique identifiers allowing for accurate sample tracking across eCHIS and the lab system and linking of test results to patients.
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The Lab Management Information System (LabX) links directly with other systems ensuring timely results.
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The Electronic Case-Based Surveillance System (eCBSS) automatically receives data from eCHIS and LabX and it supports TB case monitoring.
Through this integration, VHTs also receive SMS notifications and tasks once the TB results are ready. The workflow also supports direct messaging to patients to inform them promptly about the TB test results thus ensuring quicker diagnosis and treatment initiation.
To date, 115 VHTs and 17 VHT Supervisors working in 5 districts have been trained and are using the integrated system to support TB care delivery. The digitization has helped to increase the reach of TB services resulting in increased case detection and care linkage. 
Edward Kakooza and @Ronald_Kica for demoing and sharing this great work with the community. The video presentation has been uploaded here.