The Centre for Infectious Disease in Zambia (CIDRZ) conducted dissemination meetings with Chawama and Kanyama Level one Hospital teams to share diagnostic accuracy results of a novel swab-based test for tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis.

The study evaluated Near Point of Care (NPOC) platforms for TB diagnosis under the Assessing Diagnostics at Point-of-Care for Tuberculosis (ADAPT) project.

Unlike conventional laboratory-based testing, NPOC platforms bring diagnostic services closer to patients by enabling testing within or near health facilities. As a result, these innovations have the potential to transform TB testing, reduce turnaround times, and help close the diagnostic gap in the global effort to End TB

High quality research is a product of community trust, strong collaboration, and operational excellence. Since the ADAPT study started in 2023, the CIDRZ team has worked closely with facility teams to identify, screen and test over 1,000 presumptive TB patients.

The meeting provided an opportunity to discuss study progress, preliminary results and plan next steps. From the community workers who shared information about the study, the nurses and clinicians who cared for patients to the laboratory scientists who completed the testing; this milestone reflects the critical role each stakeholder plays in advancing clinical research excellence.

Speaking at the event, Dr Masuzyo Chirwa, a Clinical Research Fellow at CIDRZ, noted that the study has generated important data to support timely TB diagnosis. She added that the research team is encouraged by the evolving TB diagnostic landscape, which is bringing testing services closer to communities.