I was honored to be invited by USAID (Dr. Amar Shah) and the WHO (Dr. Malik Parmar) to serve as Mewat Evaluation Team Leader for India’s Evaluation of Integrated Digital Adherence Technology (IDAT) For Treatment Support of TB Patients. Our team [Mr. Bruce Thomas (lead), Dr. Shanker Matta, Mr. Bharat Bhushan Dahiya, Dr. Bhavin Vadera, Dr. Srikrishna S R, Dr. Yogesh Gurav, Dr. Neeraj Aggarwal, and Dr. Pirabu R] spent three days in the field interacting with health system leaders, health care workers, and TB patients, evaluating the feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of 3 digital adherence technologies (99DOTS, evriMED medication monitoring boxes, and VOT) in supporting patients and enabling differentiated care. It was a remarkable experience and an exciting step forward for India’s innovative approach to provide patients and providers with a range of integrated adherence technologies to better meet their needs — a true patient-centered model. Mewat is a challenging setting for TB treatment and a true test of the use of adherence technologies.
Special thanks to Mewat’s remarkable DTO, Dr. Praveen Kumar, for his and his team’s hospitality and for their impressive efforts on behalf of Mewat’s TB patients. Special thanks also to Dr. Kiran Rade and Dr. Bhavin Vadera for their leadership and support of IDAT generally and for our Mewat Evaluation Team more specifically.