Addressing the drug resistant tuberculosis challenge through implementing a mixed model of care in Uganda, 2012- 2017

Abstract

Background Worldwide, Drug resistant Tuberculosis (DR-TB) remains a big problem; the diagnostic capacity has superseded the DR-TB clinical management capacity thereby causing ethical challenges. In Sub-Saharan Africa, treatment is either inadequate or lacking and some diagnosed patients are on treatment waiting lists. In Uganda, various health system challenges impeded scale up of DR-TB care in 2012; only three treatment initiation facilities existed, with only 41 of the estimated 1010 cases enrolled on treatment yet 300 were on the waiting list and there was no DR-TB treatment scale up plan. To scale up care, National TB/Leprosy Program (NTLP) with partners rolled out a DR-TB mixed model of care. In this paper, we share achievements and outcomes resulting from the implementation of this mixed Model of DR-TB care. Methods Routine NTLP DR-TB program data from 2013 to 2017 cohorts was collected from all the 15 DR-TB treatment initiation sites and analyzed using STATA version 14.2. We presented outcomes as the number of patient backlog cleared, DR-TB initiation sites, cumulative patients enrolled, percentage of co-infected patients on co-trimoxazole preventive therapy (CPT) and antiretroviral therapy (ART) as well as the six, twelve interim and 24 months treatment outcomes as per the Uganda NTLP 2016 Programmatic Management of drug Resistant Tuberculosis (PMDT) guidelines. Results Over the period 2013-2017, DR-TB treatment initiation sites increased from three to 15, cumulative patient enrollment rose from 41 to 1,311 and the 300-patient backlog was cleared. Treatment success rate (TSR) of 73% was achieved above the global TSR average rate of 50%. Conclusions The Uganda DR-TB mixed model of care coupled with early application of continuous improvement approaches, enhanced cohort reviews and use of multi-disciplinary teams allowed for rapid DR-TB program expansion, rapid clearance of patient backlog, attainment of high cumulative enrollment and high treatment success rates. Sustainability of these achievements is needed to further reduce the DR-TB burden in the country. We highly recommend this mixed model of care in settings with similar challenges.

Discontinuation of tuberculosis treatment among children in the Kampala Capital City Authority health facilities: a retrospective cohort study

“…Several factors are associated with DTT among children, and include among others, long treatment durations, high pill burden, medication-related side-effects, and symptom resolution. DTT thus remains a major obstacle to efficient TB control in developing countries like Uganda and has the potential to worsen the emergence of multi-drug resistant TB and death [9,10]. Some of the notable approaches to tackling DTT in children include the development of child-friendly policies, an integrated, family-based approach to TB care and services, addressing vulnerabilities faced by children with TB, providing support to their treatment supporters particularly women and the elderly, providing them with social protection, and promoting equitable access to child-friendly formulations of medicines to optimize treatment [11].…”