Empowering informal providers to detect TB using tongue swabs

• Title Evaluating the Impact and Implementation Outcomes of Engaging Informal Healthcare Providers for Tuberculosis Detection Using Tongue Swabs in India: A Mixed-Methods Pre-Post Pilot Study
• Granting Agency CIHR (Canadian Institutes of Health Sciences)
• Period 1 April 2024 – 31 March 2028
• Amount $569,926

In this project, we will conduct a mixed-methods study involving Informal Providers (IPs) with a concurrent design in the South Delhi district (India). The quantitative component of the study will employ a pre-post design with an interrupted time-series approach to compare outcomes before and after the intervention (using tongue swabs to detect TB). The qualitative component, conducted post-intervention, will involve in-depth interviews with IPs, patients, and stakeholders to explore feasibility, satisfaction, and implementation research outcomes. Our findings will provide evidence on whether training IPs will improve TB case diagnosis, and whether enabling them to collect tongue swabs for TB testing can amplify this impact.