New online consultation service for tuberculosis initiated
Daily dose for a MDR tuberculosis patient.
The DZIF has initiated an online consultation service for treating cases of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. Here, doctors can submit their cases and get advice for further treatment from experts at the Research Center Borstel.
The number of patients suffering from multidrug-resistant (MDR) or extensively drug-resistant (XDR) tuberculosis has increased rapidly over the last years: According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), about 480,000 new cases of M/XDR tuberculosis occurred in 2013 alone. Only a small number of these cases are actually reported and an even smaller number are treated appropriately.
According to Professor Christoph Lange, Head of the Division of Clinical Infectious Diseases at the Research Center Borstel Medical Clinic and initiator of the online consultation service, “The chances of cure for patients can be improved considerably with tailored treatment concepts.”
Thanks to the new online platform, doctors and staff in the public health sector have the possibility of submitting their cases via secure access. Besides the medical and drug history, submitting x-rays and videos for expert review is also possible.
