myTBscope

An interactive mobile application “myTBscope” is designed to teach and enhance hands-on skills of laboratory experts as well as teachers and trainers of laboratory staff in the area of microscopy testing of a tuberculosis pathogen in real time.

Mobile application “myTBscope” fully imitates the real vision field of a sputum smear seen by a laboratory specialist through lenses of a binocular microscope. Miscroscopists are shown sputum smears stained according to Ziehl-Neelsen and/or stained for fluorescent microscopy. The user is suggested to evaluate a smear and choose an assumed result, after which the application verifies the answer choice against the correct answer to assess the knowledge of the user. The mobile application includes a range of multiple vision fields, which are developed based on real-life work of a laboratory specialist. Regular training using this application will help a laboratory specialist acquire skills of correct AFB identification and reporting reliable results in real routine work to minimize reporting false-positive or false-negative results.

Convenient user interface makes it easy to use the application regardless of level of skill with regards to both AFB microscopy and smartphone use and age category.

The application will be available in the Uzbek, English, and Russian languages enabling greater geographic coverage of users.

Implementing “myTBscope” mobile application in laboratory diagnostics of tuberculosis will be a contemporary approach to teaching and training laboratory specialists on microscopy tests.