Analysis of Drug Resistant Tuberculosis Population and Outcomes in South Africa, using the Electronic Drug Resistant Tuberculosis Register (EDRWeb)

The South African Electronic Drug Resistant Tuberculosis Register (EDRWeb) is a national reporting database. We propose a retrospective analysis of this de-identified, established database of routinely reported patient-level data to describe the population and outcomes of drug-resistant TB as recorded within the EDRweb in order to inform treatment guidelines and practice for South Africa. Operational implementation across a broad number of sites is likely to differ from cohorts at research-linked sites that have been previously described in publications. Results from this electronic reporting system would allow comparisons to be made between provinces and across time, providing insight about national MDR-TB trends and responses to interventions such as new policy guidelines. Furthermore, these results could be used in making informed decisions about national TB treatment and care and could be used in the construction of a MDR-TB cost-outcomes model.