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Background |
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In many parts of the world, Tuberculosis (TB) rates have
increased dramatically in recent years. The provision of accurate data and tools
for surveillance, program management and supervision has become increasingly essential.
The “Electronic TB Register” (ETR.Net) is a Microsoft.net–based computer software
program, inspired on the World Health Organization (WHO) and International Union
Against TB and Lung Disease (IUATLD) recording and reporting formats. Many of the
features of ETR.Net are derived from the “Electronic TB Register” software, a TB
surveillance project in southern Africa supported by USAID and CDC (Centres for
Disease Control). It was developed to provide for more efficient and useful collection,
compilation, and analysis of TB data on an ongoing basis. The three main considerations
during development and design were for the system to:
- generate standard WHO-IUATLD reports,
- make reports immediately available at a district level, and
- be extremely user-friendly and allow for flexible sub-district setup
- have in-country support
Individual patient records are entered from a standard manual facility TB Register
into a District-based (Local Service Area-/Sub-district-based) data entry program
that provides interactive guidance and support. The program then generates different
patient listings, with a management and supervision function (i.e. a list of defaulters),
and standard quarterly and annual reports on case finding, sputum conversion, and
treatment outcome. In addition to the report tables, the program also provides graphs
(time trends) and maps (geographic distribution) on important TB indicators (under
construction).
The first prototype of the ‘Electronic TB Register’ program was developed in Botswana
in 1995, through collaboration between the Ministry of Health, Botswana, and the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. The aim of the
program was to provide the Botswana National TB Program with a powerful tool for
TB program management and supervision. In 1999/2000 a considerable effort was made
to make the program more generic and the software was piloted and then implemented
in South Africa. In 2002/2003 the program, which was initially developed for the
DOS environment, was re-designed in the Windows environment for added flexibility
and ease of use.
Due to in country needs and support – the ETR.Net software has been developed, based
on the previous software, and supported by:
The National TB Control Program
WAMTechnology CC
Medical Research Council
US Centres for Disease Control USAID
The ‘Electronic TB Register’ is a public use software that can be obtained free
of cost and can be implemented, with adequate equipment, at a minimum cost. Limited
computer experience is required for a person to effectively operate the programme.
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About ETR.Net |
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What is ETR.Net? |
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A description of the ETR.Net software tool and its functions. |
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Using ETR.Net |
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Information regarding the use of ETR.Net. |
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Background |
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General information regarding ETR.Net and its origins. |
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Country Implementations |
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ETR.Net has been implemented in several countries, follow this link for detailed
information. |
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Implementation Recommendations |
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Learn more about the requirements and pre-requisites for implementing ETR.Net. |
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Technical Information |
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Detailed technical information, including development platform and hardware/software
requirements. |
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Useful Links |
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Useful links related to ETR.Net, Tuberculosis and other general information. |
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Popular Downloads |
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Multimedia Demonstration Kit |
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The Multimedia Demonstration Kit is an interactive introduction to ETR.Net. This
kit contains almost all of the resources available on this web site. |
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Demonstration Version |
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Download a fully operational version of the ETR.Net software, which has been pre-configured
for demonstration purposes (e.g. demo data, etc.). |
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Software User Manual |
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Download a copy of the ETR.Net software user manual. |
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Brochure |
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A brief informational brochure. |
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