An assessment of current tuberculosis patient care and support policies in high-burden countries

Abstract

CONTEXT: Adherence to treatment for tuberculosis (TB) is an important predictor of treatment outcomes. The World Health Organization guidelines recommend a patient-centred approach to adherence support; however, the extent to which policies in high-burden countries facilitate this approach remains uncertain.DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey of current national patient care and support policies in high TB burden countries was performed.RESULT: Responses were provided by TB care programmes in 23 of the 30 high TB burden countries, comprising 77.4% of TB cases globally. Clinic-based and household adherence support and patient education were recommended in all countries, while policies for digital technologies and social supports have been adopted in a small minority of countries. Financial or material support (such as reimbursement for transportation) and psychological support to patients—if included in the policies—was mainly recommended only for specific sub-groups of patients.CONCLUSION: National policies in many countries have not yet fully adopted global recommendations for patient care and support. Further scale-up of evidence-based approaches to care is required to improve quality of care for patients in high TB burden settings.