The use of innovative screening tools has the potential to significantly enhance early detection and treatment initiation, ultimately contributing to the reduction of TB (tuberculosis) incidence and mortality. However, the success of these tools relies not only on their technical capabilities (e.g., accuracy) but also on their usability and integration into healthcare workers' routines. Assessing the usability and human factors of health tools is thus paramount to ensure their effective adoption and sustained use in clinical settings. Usability refers to the extent to which a product can be used by specified users to achieve specified goals with effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction in a specified context of use (21). In the context of health tools, usability assessment encompasses evaluating the interface design, workflow integration, cognitive load, and overall user experience. Human factors, on the other hand, consider the interactions between humans and the system, focusing on designing systems that accommodate the user's physical and cognitive abilities, thereby minimizing errors and enhancing performance.
Tools and technologies with high usability lead to improved job performance among healthcare workers, reducing the likelihood of errors. Moreover, usability evaluation can provide insights into the tool's adaptability to different healthcare settings, the learning curve for new users, and the tool's efficacy in real-world clinical scenarios. Tools that are difficult to use or integrate into existing workflows may never be adopted or be underutilized or misused, leading to missed opportunities for early TB detection and treatment.
Building on recent developments in digital health and data science, as well as the principles of usability engineering, in this study we propose to assess the usability of mTBscreen, a digital tool for TB screening and triage. The Investigators will evaluate the ease-of-use, usability and preliminary acceptability of the tool when used by healthcare workers. This will inform the design and implementation of its use in an effectiveness-implementation study in lower health care levels for the identification of individuals at high risk of TB.
