SMS Gateway Application for Suspected Tuberculosis Reporting

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major health problem in the world. Surabaya city had the highest number of TB cases in the province of East Java (3990 cases). The purpose of this research was to develop a network system of SMS Gateway to assist health cadres in attracting new TB suspects. This system would need active participation of the social environment, especially health cadres/community. Methods: This study was a qualitative and applied research. In this study, SMS Gateway System was built based on System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) method. The feasibility of this system was reviewed on health cadres in one of the health centers in Surabaya. The feasibility review was done by the level of acceptance (convenience and usability) of the system. Result: Analysis on the acceptance level of SMS Gateway was done by comparing the results of in-depth interviews and the results of observations. The results of in-depth interviews to 5 health cadres showed that this system was very useful and very easy to do. The reporting of new TB suspect was only done via SMS and did not need to be reported to the health center. The patients also gained benefits because of the rapid response of health assistance. Cadres were also very enthusiastic to use this SMS and willing to be the cadre in TB suspect reporting. Conclusion: SMS Gateway application can be used as a tool for suspected TB reporting. SMS Gateway is a method of active case finding. It requires the active participation of the community