EFFECTIVENESS OF USING THE TUBERCULOSIS INFORMATION SYSTEM (SITB) APPLICATION AND ITS IMPACT ON TB CASE DATA AT THE MERAUKE HEALTH OFFICE (Case Study at The Merauke Health Office)

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL ON ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND INFORMATION SYSTEM (IJATEIS) EFFECTIVENESS OF USING THE TUBERCULOSIS INFORMATION SYSTEM (SITB) APPLICATION AND ITS IMPACT ON TB CASE DATA AT THE MERAUKE HEALTH OFFICE (Case Study at The Merauke Health Office) Eduardus Parulian Tumanggor1*, Kodrat Pramudho2, Nevile R. Muskita3 1,2 Master of Public Health Program with a Specialization in Regional Health, Faculty of Public Health, Universitas Indonesia Maju E-mail: 1) Abstract This study aims to analyze the problem of utilizing the Tuberculosis Information System (SITB) application and its impact on tuberculosis (TB) case data in the working area of the Merauke Health Office. Using a qualitative approach, the main objectives of this research are to measure the effectiveness of the SITB application in recording and reporting TB cases, identify the challenges faced by health workers in using this application, analyze the impact of using the SITB application on the accuracy of TB case data, and evaluate the effect of timely data input on the quality of TB case reports submitted through SITB. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with the P2P division of the Merauke Health Office, heads of health centers, TB nurses, laboratory analysts, and TB patients, as well as direct observation of the application’s use in the field. The results of this study are expected to provide valuable insights for the Merauke Health Office in improving the use of the SITB application, thereby enhancing the accuracy and quality of reported TB case data, and to offer recommendations to overcome the challenges encountered in the application’s use. Keywords: Tuberculosis, Information System, Effectiveness and Accuracy of data 1. INTRODUCTION Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the most deadly, infectious diseases in the world, especially in developing countries such as Indonesia. TB poses a serious public health challenge due to its contagious nature and requires a long and structured course of treatment. As one of the countries with the highest TB burden, Indonesia is committed to accelerating the reduction of TB cases through focused and comprehensive control programs. This effort requires the support of a surveillance system that is able to effectively identify, monitor, and follow up on TB cases (Kementrian Kesehatan RI, 2023). Pulmonary TB germs spread to others through transmission or airflow (sputum droplets of BTA-positive pulmonary TB patients) when the patient coughs or sneezes (WHO, 2021). Pulmonary TB can cause death if the patient does not take medication regularly for up to 6 months (World Health Organization, 2021). In addition to affecting individuals, pulmonary TB also affects the families of patients, with psychological impacts in the form of anxiety, decreased support, and low self-confidence (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2023). Indonesia's commitment to tackling tuberculosis (TB) is evidenced by improving the detection and reporting system to achieve the highest case notification in history in 2022 and 2023. IJATEIS | VOLUME 3 NO. 4 (2024) https://ojs.transpublika.com/index.php/IJATEIS/ E-ISSN: 2828-5425 588 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL ON ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND INFORMATION SYSTEM (IJATEIS) VOLUME 3 NO. 4 (2024) More than 724,000 new TB cases were found in 2022, Tuberculosis (TB) disease in Indonesia ranks second after India, with 969 thousand cases and 93 thousand deaths per year or equivalent to 11 deaths per hour. Based on the Global TB Report in 2022, the highest number of TB cases in the world in the productive age group, especially at the age of 25 to 34 years. In Indonesia, the highest number of TB cases is in the productive age group, especially at the age of 45 to 54 years, this figure is the highest figure since TB became a national priority program and the number increased to 809,000 cases in 2023. This number is much higher when compared to cases before the pandemic, where the average discovery was below 600,000 per year (Kementrian Kesehatan RI, 2023). The Ministry of Health has accelerated massively to record a number of successes. First, the Ministry of Health managed to find 90% of new cases. Of these new cases, patients who received treatment reached 100%, including 90% of patients who had received complete treatment. Another achievement is that 58% of people with close contact with tuberculosis have received TB preventive therapy (TPT) (Kementrian Kesehatan RI, 2023). The improvement of the data reporting system was carried out by establishing a special reporting system for TB, namely the Tuberculosis Information System which can be accessed by all health workers at health service facilities. Improvements have also been made through the implementation of the Public Private Mix (PPM) program to increase the involvement of both public and private health facilities in TB control (Kementrian Kesehatan Republik Indonesia, 2019). As a result of the intervention, health service facilities were able to report TB suspects found through the Tuberculosis Information System (SITB). This ease of reporting has resulted in increased TB case finding data. An increase in cases also means that more people with TB can be detected and treated (Kementrian Kesehatan RI, 2024). The increase in TB incidence in Indonesia in 2020 and 2021 is about 14.9 percent per year, while in 2021 and 2022, the increase in incidence reaches 42.3 percent per year. TB incidence increased in 2023, but is expected to decline in 2024. If TB case finding and treatment continue, it is expected that the number of TB cases in Indonesia will decrease further in the coming years (Kementrian Kesehatan RI, 2024). Data from the Merauke District Health Office for Disease Prevention and Control (P2P) from SITB in June 2024, recorded 1,571 TB cases spread across 25 health centers. However, only 1,277 patients underwent treatment, showing a significant gap between notified cases and treated patients (Dinkes Kabupaten Merauke, 2024). Data discrepancies between the number of notified cases and treated patients can have several negative impacts, such as: (1). providing an inaccurate picture of the burden of TB disease in Merauke District, (2). hindering appropriate decision-making regarding TB control programs including OAT availability, (3). Leads to inefficiencies in the use of resources, (3) decreases public confidence in the TB control program. Based on the above reasons, the utilization of the Tuberculosis Information System (TIT) is very important in TB control efforts, especially in the working area of the Merauke District Health Office. Although there have been significant improvements in the reporting and handling of TB cases, there are still obstacles such as delays in data entry that impact the accuracy of data and the effectiveness of interventions. An in-depth analysis of the use of the SITB application and its impact on TB case data is highly relevant. This study (...truncated)