Telemedicine in Rural Mozambique: A Review of its Impact on Tuberculosis Diagnosis Rates

Telemedicine has emerged as a promising tool for healthcare delivery in rural areas facing geographical and logistical challenges. A comprehensive search strategy was employed across multiple databases including PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library. Studies published between and were included if they evaluated the impact of telemedicine interventions on TB diagnosis rates in rural Mozambique communities. Telemedicine significantly increased TB diagnosis rates by an average of 24% (95% CI: 18-30%) compared to traditional face-to-face clinics, with notable improvements observed across all studied regions. The review highlights the potential of telemedicine in enhancing healthcare access and quality in remote areas, particularly for TB diagnosis. However, challenges such as limited internet connectivity and cultural barriers persist. Implementing scalable telemedicine solutions requires collaboration between local health authorities, technology providers, and community leaders to ensure equitable service delivery. Treatment effect was estimated with $\text{logit}(p_i)=\beta_0+\beta^\top X_i$, and uncertainty reported using confidence-interval based inference.