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. 2022 Mar 6;14(3):e22886.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.22886. eCollection 2022 Mar.

Impact of Treatment Supporters on the Treatment Outcomes of Drug Resistant-Tuberculosis (DR-TB) Patients: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Om P Giri  1 , Abhay Kumar  2 , Vishal P Giri  3 , Nishant Nikhil  4
Affiliations

Impact of Treatment Supporters on the Treatment Outcomes of Drug Resistant-Tuberculosis (DR-TB) Patients: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Om P Giri et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Background: Drug resistant-tuberculosis (DR-TB) patients are provided universal drug susceptibility testing (UDST), anti-TB drugs for the treatment of DR-TB, nutritional support (Nikshay Poshan Yojana - the financial incentive of rupees five hundred per month for each notified DR-TB patient for the duration for which the patient is on anti-TB drugs) by the Government of India.

Methods: This retrospective cohort record-based study was conducted in DR-TB patients. Some 1095 DR-TB patients who have initiated treatment at Nodal DR-TB Centre, Darbhanga Medical College and Hospital (DMCH), Darbhanga, and continued their anti-TB drugs at home blocks were followed till their treatment outcome was known. Data were analyzed by statistical experts of DMCH.

Results: Treatment supporters comprised 688 (62.83%) females and 407 (37.17%) males. Different types of treatment supporters noted were accredited social health activists (ASHAs) 622 (56.80%), family members 365 (33.33%), and community health workers 108 (09.86%). Treatment outcome as transfer out was observed in 08 (1.29%), 10 (2.74%), and 13 (12.03%) cases among ASHAs, family members, and community health workers, respectively [statistically significant (p < 0.0001)].

Conclusion: ASHAs proved to be the best treatment supporters in comparison to both family members and community health workers for multi-drug resistant TB (MDR/RR-TB) patients.

Keywords: dr-tb; drug-resistant tuberculosis; multi-drug resistant tb -mdr; treatment outcome; tuberculosis treatment supporters.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

References

    1. National TB Elimination Programme. Central TB Division, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, New Delhi. 2021. Guidelines for Programmatic Management of Drug Resistant Tuberculosis in India; pp. 1–123.
    1. World Health Organization. Geneva: WHO; 2002. A Guide for Tuberculosis Treatment Supporters; pp. 1–20.
    1. Nikshay Treatment Supporter Scheme (TSS), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. India. 2022. Nutritional Support to TB Patients (Nikshay Poshan Yojana)
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