Impact of advocacy on the tuberculosis management practices of private practitioners in Chennai City, India

Krishnan, N and Ananthakrishnan, R and Augustine, S and Vijayalakshmi, N K and Gopi, P G and Kumaraswami, V and Narayanan, P R (2009) Impact of advocacy on the tuberculosis management practices of private practitioners in Chennai City, India. International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, 13 (1). pp. 112-118. ISSN : 1027-3719; EISSN: 1815-7920

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Abstract

BACKGROUND: Innovative schemes to ensure the participation of private practitioners (PPs) in the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) are nec essary to identify and treat all patients with tuberculosis (TB). We developed a novel public-private mix (PPM) model to encourage PPs to practise DOTS and participate in the RNTCP while retaining their patients. METHODS: The Resource Group for Education and Advocacy for Community Health (REACH) developed and implemented the programme in partnership with the Chennai local health authority and the Tuberculosis Research Centre, Chennai, India. PPs were sensitised to the RNTCP and DOTS through a one-to-one approach or group meetings, and were assisted in referring patients. Surveys were carried out at baseline and at the completion of the study to assess changes in attitudes and practices. RESULTS: Six hundred PPs underwent sensitisation about the RNTCP, after which the proportion of PPs adopting DOTS increased signifi cantly (P < 0.001), and the majority (72.8%) used sputum testing for diagnosing TB. The proportion of PPs who used X-ray alone for diagnosis declined to 16.0% from a baseline of 45.4%. CONCLUSIONS: This PPM model, which emphasises sustained advocacy for DOTS and allows PPs to retain private patients, looks promising and needs to be tested at other sites.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	tuberculosis; public-private mix; nongovernmental organisations; DOTS; advocacy; RNTCP; India
Subjects:	Tuberculosis > Epidemiological Research Tuberculosis
Divisions:	Epidemiology
Depositing User:	Dr. Rathinasabapati R
Date Deposited:	02 Aug 2017 11:34
Last Modified:	02 Aug 2017 11:36
URI:	http://eprints.nirt.res.in/id/eprint/926

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