Expanding two-way texting for post-operative follow-up: A cost analysis of the implementation and scale-up in routine voluntary medical male circumcision settings in South Africa.

ABSTRACT: Up to 98% of adult voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) clients heal without adverse events (AEs) in South Africa and in the sub-Saharan Africa region. Yet, all clients in South Africa are required to attend in-person reviews, creating added effort for providers and clients. A randomized controlled trial (RCT) using our fee-free, open-source, two-way texting (2wT) approach showed that males could independently monitor their healing with nurse-led telehealth support. 2wT was more cost-effective than routine visits for quality post-operative monitoring. The objectives of this study were:1) assess the additive cost of 2wT vs. standard of care (SoC) during a stepped wedge design (SWD) expansion trial; 2) determine the cost of augmenting 2wT implementation with dedicated personnel during

SUBMITTER: Unsworth M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12013885 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature