Setting/Objective
The purpose of this study was to elicit Ethiopian hospital staff members’ understanding of challenges to effectively preventing, diagnosing and treating tuberculosis (TB).
Design
Qualitative data was collected via in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with seventy-four healthcare workers including physicians, nurses, pharmacists and laboratory technicians in five hospitals in the Northern Ethiopian regions of Amhara and Tigray. There was no intervention.
Results
Focus groups and interviews shared a number of prominent common themes. Respondents identified numerous challenges including active case identification, infection control practices, diagnostics including the absence of tuberculosis culture and drug-susceptibility testing capacity, and the lack of infrastructure for diagnosing and treating multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDRTB). Pharmacists noted a need for improved procurement practices, and pediatric dosages for tuberculosis medications. Providers shared concerns regarding isoniazid preventive therapy (IPT), health workforce challenges and the risk of contracting TB at the workplace.
Conclusions
Healthcare workers in the Northern Ethiopian regions of Tigray and Amhara identified many challenges to effectively preventing, diagnosing and treating tuberculosis. These challenges are complicated by severe resource constraints and challenges in attracting and retaining health care workers in government hospitals in centers outside Addis Ababa.
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