Impact of a computer system as a triage tool in the management of pulmonary tuberculosis in a HIV reference center in Brazil
Mariana Pitombeira Libório, Afrânio Lineu Kritski, Isabela Neves de Almeida, Pryscila Fernandes Campino Miranda, Jacó Ricarte Lima de Mesquita, Rosa Maria Salani Mota, George Jó Bezerra Sousa, Roberto da Justa Pires Neto, et al. (9 authors)
Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical · 2022-01
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The Neural Clinical Score for tuberculosis (NCS-TB) is a computer system developed to improve the triage of presumed pulmonary TB (pPTB). METHODS: A study was performed with cohorts of pPTB patients cared for at a reference hospital in Northeast Brazil. RESULTS: The NCS-TB sensitivity was 76.5% for TB diagnosis, which shortened the time from triage to smear microscopy results (3.3 to 2.5 days; p<0.001) and therapy initiation (6.7 to 4.1 days; p=0.045). CONCLUSIONS: Although the NCS-TB was not suitable as a screening tool, it was able to optimize laboratory diagnosis and shorten the time to treatment initiation.
MeSH terms
- Triage
- Medicine
- Tuberculosis
- Pulmonary tuberculosis
- Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
- Emergency medicine
- Medical emergency