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Kuishi-TBI App: A mobile health application for traumatic brain injury care in Moshi, Tanzania

Award Number: R21NS151171
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS AND STROKE
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/07/2026
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 08/31/2028

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Kuishi-TBI App: A mobile health application for traumatic brain injury care in Moshi, Tanzania - ABSTRACT Annually, there are over 70 million new cases of traumatic brain injury (TBI) of which 90% of all TBI deaths occur in low-income settings. Similarly, rural locations in the US have higher risk of TBI and 23% higher TBI deaths compared to urban areas. In low-resourced areas, access to timely and appropriate care is decisive in reducing TBI mortality. The heterogeneity of TBI care observed in low-resourced areas and in rural US locations reduce care efficiency, increase cost and worsen outcomes. mHealth innovations have shown to be efficacious and feasible for health systems in low-resourced settings. In this project, we will address these delays by developing an mHealth tool - the Kuishi-TBI App - to prioritize and expedite care for TBI and trauma patients. Our proposed solution combines ongoing evidence-based initiatives into a mHealth application with 5 core features: 1) machine learning based predictive model to risk stratify patients to guide triage and clinical decision making; 2) local evidence-based TBI clinical practice guideline; 3) communication network for transportation; 4) facility communication link between district and referral hospitals for healthcare resource distribution like transfers or pre-arrival communication; and 5) an educational booster by SMS-platform for patients about self-care post-TBI, linkage to rehabilitation, and carecoordination. The Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC) referral network, in Tanzania, is an optimal setting to study such challenges, given its multiple sources of delays along the TBI care continuum. Heterogeneous care systems, as in rural US settings, require multi-modal health system intervention. Tanzania is a strategic location to conduct this formative work; it offers a cost-efficient location to design and evaluate such interventions, with KCMC’s unique low-resource clinical setting and robust NIH research infrastructure and long standing partnerships, the project promotes knowledge gain and transfer to the US, ultimately improving the health of Tanzanians and Americans. By the end of this proposed project, we will have created a clinically-relevant mHealth tool to support the TBI care continuum, reducing heterogeneity in care and developed the technology, in collaboration with US-based researchers, ready to be implemented in lowresource settings abroad and in the rural US. At project end, we will have established the preliminary work needed to conduct a cluster-randomized trial and expand our technology implementation to more hospitals and additional settings, such as rural US.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2026 ( Subtotal = $183,457 )
2026	2026	THE GOOD SAMARITAN FOUNDATION FOUNDERS OF THE KILIMANJARO CHRISTIAN MEDICAL CENTRE	123 OFF SOKOINE ROAD	MOSHI				TZA	Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders	000	1	9/7/2026	NEW	$183,457
														Subtotal = $183,457

Grand Total All Awards = $183,457

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Kuishi-TBI App: A mobile health application for traumatic brain injury care in Moshi, Tanzania

Award Number: R21NS151171

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS AND STROKE

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/07/2026

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 08/31/2028

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