Author summary
cutaneous leishmaniasis, Cutaneous leishmaniasis, sores
CUTANEOUS LEISHMANIASIS, SKIN DISEASES, CUTANEOUS LEISHMANIASIS, PARASITIC DISEASE
Cutaneous leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease which causes sores on the skin than can spread to other skin or mucosal locations and lead to permanent scaring and disfigurement. In Latin America, cutaneous leishmaniasis primarily affects remote rural communities with limited health services. Mobile health (mHealth) strategies, such as mobile phone apps, have potential to improve care and surveillance of cutaneous leishmaniasis and other skin diseases. We developed a mobile phone app called Guaral +ST for use by community health volunteers to monitor cutaneous leishmaniasis treatment. We carried out a randomized trial in the coastal municipality of Tumaco in southwestern Colombia. Patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis were treated in accordance with national guidelines, and randomly allocated to either follow-up aided by the app, or to standard institution-based follow-up. Of the 74 randomized participants with the necessary data, 26/49 (53.1%) were evaluated in the intervention arm, and none (0/25, 0%) in the control arm. Hence follow-up was achieved more frequently by community health volunteers supported by the mHealth app than conventional institutional-based monitoring of treatment. This study shows that mHealth apps can help deliver improved care of cutaneous leishmaniasis in remote settings.