eCompliance Perú Biometric Technology to Ensure Tuberculosis Treatment Adherence in Peru

Of all WHO regions, the Americas have the second lowest rate of successfully treated TB cases and the largest percentage of failed treatment cases. Peru in particular has the highest percentage of previously treated TB cases with MDR-TB (multi-drug resistant tuberculosis), often caused by patients not adhering to the treatment. This innovation aims to rectify this with a cost-effective and community-centred approach, using eCompliance, a portable biometric patient identification system originally developed by the NGO OperationASHA. An incentive system for Community Health Workers (CHW) will supplement this system. Using existing technology (fingerprint scanners and Android tablets), the innovators will be able to accurately and efficiently track patient adherence to treatment. Whenever a patient visits the clinic to take his medicine, he will scan his fingerprint to log on to the system, thereby verifying his attendance at the clinic and tracking fidelity to his regimen. If a patient misses even a single dose, healthcare providers will be notified via SMS so they can follow up within 48 hours, ensuring compliance to the six-month treatment schedule. CHWs are incentivized for positive health outcomes, generating income and commitment in the community. This will be the first pilot and implementation of the eCompliance system in the Americas and is intended to reduce default rates to 3% in 30 health centres. This project is funded under a collaborative agreement between CONCYTEC (Peru’s National Council for Science, Technology and Technological Innovation) and Grand Challenges Canada (funded by the Government of Canada) to support Stars in Global Health innovators based in Peru.