A user-friendly mathematical modelling web interface to assist local decision making in the fight against drug-resistant tuberculosis

BMC Infectious Diseases

Correspondence

Romain Ragonnet¹  Emma S. McBryde²  James M. Trauer³  Ben J. Marais⁴  Justin T. Denholm⁵ 

[1] Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia;Burnet Institute, 85 Commercial Road, 3141, Melbourne, VIC, Australia;Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia;Burnet Institute, 85 Commercial Road, 3141, Melbourne, VIC, Australia;Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook University, Townsville, Australia;Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia;Victorian Tuberculosis Program, Melbourne Health, Melbourne, Australia;School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia;Marie Bashir Institute and the Centre for Research Excellence in Tuberculosis, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia;Victorian Tuberculosis Program, Melbourne Health, Melbourne, Australia;Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute, Melbourne, Australia;Victorian Infectious Diseases Service, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville, VIC, Australia;

关键词: User Interface;    Decision making;    Tuberculosis;    Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis;    Re-treatment;    Causal pathway;    Misdiagnosis;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12879-017-2478-6

 received in 2017-03-09, accepted in 2017-05-21,  发布年份 2017

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

Multidrug-resistant and rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis (MDR/RR-TB) represent an important challenge for global tuberculosis (TB) control. The high rates of MDR/RR-TB observed among re-treatment cases can arise from diverse pathways: de novo amplification during initial treatment, inappropriate treatment of undiagnosed MDR/RR-TB, relapse despite appropriate treatment, or reinfection with MDR/RR-TB. Mathematical modelling allows quantification of the contribution made by these pathways in different settings. This information provides valuable insights for TB policy-makers, allowing better contextualised solutions. However, mathematical modelling outputs need to consider local data and be easily accessible to decision makers in order to improve their usefulness. We present a user-friendly web-based modelling interface, which can be used by people without technical knowledge. Users can input their own parameter values and produce estimates for their specific setting. This innovative tool provides easy access to mathematical modelling outputs that are highly relevant to national TB control programs. In future, the same approach could be applied to a variety of modelling applications, enhancing local decision making.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s). 2017