Aurum Institute Ghana is supporting the HearTB Ghana Study, a research project exploring whether patterns in a person’s cough could help identify those who may have TB and support earlier screening.
The study collects cough sounds and basic health information from eligible participants. These recordings will contribute to a Ghanaian cough dataset, which will be used to further train and test an artificial intelligence (AI) model. The model analyses features of cough sounds to identify patterns that may be associated with TB and assess how well the approach works in the Ghanaian setting.
Aurum Ghana is playing a key role in preparing the study for implementation. A recent Data Collectors Workshop equipped the study team with practical knowledge of the study procedures, participant flow, informed consent, the HearTB application, cough audio collection, infection prevention and control, and data quality requirements. Role-playing allowed data collectors to practise the full study process before deployment.
The team has also engaged regional and facility management to introduce the study and prepare participating facilities. Discussions have focused on patient flow, coordination with facility teams, suitable spaces, device management, infection prevention and control, and how the study can fit alongside routine TB screening.
The long-term aim is to explore whether cough-based screening could become a simple additional tool for identifying people who may need further TB testing. It would not replace diagnostic testing or healthcare professionals but could potentially support earlier identification and referral.
As the HearTB Ghana Study gets underway, Aurum Institute Ghana is helping establish the practical foundations needed to generate evidence from the Ghanaian context and assess the potential of this approach to TB screening.