Assessment of the acceptability and usability of an integrated HIV–TB digital portal at anti-retroviral therapy centres in Odisha, India

BACKGROUND In India, health-facility staff at anti-retroviral therapy (ART) centres enter the tuberculosis (TB) status of people living with HIV (PLHIV) in Ni-kshay (a TB programme portal) and additionally in an AIDS control programme digital portal, Strengthening Overall Care for HIV Beneficiaries (SOCH). OBJECTIVE To determine acceptability and usability of SOCH among health-facility staff for entering TB status of PLHIV in ART centres of Odisha, an Eastern Indian state. DESIGN We performed a cross-sectional study from June 2025 to January 2026 in 17 ART centres of Odisha. Acceptability was assessed using the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model and usability with the System Usability Scale (SUS). RESULTS Among 33 staff, median (interquartile range [IQR]) individual scores for four constructs (maximum score: 20) ranged between 15 (14–16) and 16 (12–17). Overall median (IQR) SUS score was 42.5 (31.2–57.5). Lack of training, technical faults, and entering same information in SOCH and Ni-kshay portals were reported as reasons for inadequate usage. CONCLUSION In Odisha, SOCH was acceptable, albeit with low usability. Periodic training of staff, technical audit of SOCH, and enabling interoperability between HIV and TB portals may improve reporting of HIV–TB care cascade.