Towards the Design of a Gamified Application to Increase Tuberculosis Treatment Adherence in Vietnam

Abstract

Despite being treatable, tuberculosis (TB) remains among the most common causes of death worldwide. One of the countries with the highest-burden from TB is Vietnam. A major factor responsible for the high mortality rate is nonadherence to medication and the subsequent outbreak of multidrug-resistant forms of TB, which are harder to treat and show a lower chance of survival. Existing measures to increase medication adherence focus on monitoring medication intake without considering the reasons for nonadherence – the stigmatization of TB patients. Addressing this problem, we design a concept for a patient-centered, gamified application aiming to reduce stigmatization and empower TB patients. Based on a literature review and interviews with experts from science and practice, including former TB patients, we elaborate on the functionalities and gamified elements of the application. Eventually, we present the design concept for the application based on Lui et al.’s framework for designing a gamified information system.