Abstract:
Tuberculosis (TB) is a huge health problem globally whereby about ten million new
cases and million deaths are reported yearly. In Kenya, TB affects a significant
population proportion and it remains a key cause of morbidity and mortality. Early
detection is considered an efficient intervention measure of TB. This can be achieved
through surveillance. However, the available surveillance methods focus on the collection
of TB related data and disregards patient notification. These methods are also ineffective
in gathering real time data for analysis. The study sought to determine how TB
Surveillance is done in Kenya with an aim of improving the current systems through
integration of mobile phones to capture TB disease occurrences at the village level. The
objectives of the study were to; review the existing status of TB surveillance systems,
determine the existing challenges that are faced by TB Surveillance system, establish the
requirements for TB surveillance system through a user requirements analysis and
develop a mobile integrated prototype system for TB surveillance. The study was
anchored on the theory of agents and MAS systems in the development of the prototype.
Data was analysed using qualitative methods. This offered a deeper understanding of user
requirements that were then used to develop a TB surveillance system using the
Prometheus agent design methodology. The system was implemented on PHP, My SQL
for database and Java Agent Development Framework for multi-agent platform. The
designed MITSS prototype proofed that the medical practitioner can interact with the
patient in real-time. Usability and functionality tests were done indicating that the
application was an effective surveillance and responsive tool. Finally the study concluded
that by determining the major areas of future improvements on the existing system and
recommendations for research in future.
