What am I doing?
I was on skype to my friend Tom the other day and he asked, "what are you actually doing out there?" I realized I haven't actually said yet...
At the moment I am trying to research how patients can be helped to take their TB medications. Its a big issue: TB is the third biggest killer, and despite decades of attempts to control it the number of people with it are rising. In some parts of South Africa only half of patients finish their treatment. While patients in the West don’t do much better on most treatment, the consequences of non adherence to TB are serious: illness, death, transmission to others and the build up of “super bug” TB that’s resistant to all medication.
TB treatment is hard to take. Its a 6 month course, has horrible side effects and its heavily stigmatized in society. However, the treatment for AIDS is similar, but,the rates of the adherence are higher. Why?
Big part of it might be the way health programs help patients take their meds. TB has relied on direct observation, getting someone, usually a nurse to watch you pop your pills, in theory, every day. But big trials have shown this doesn't work, in developed or developing countries. AIDS treatment has relied on education, lots of counseling about what being in treatment will involve, treatment supporters, support groups and community campaigns. In fact there have been some impressive and inspiring projects that have used this approach to get really high rates of adherence. MSF have run one of the most famous projects in one of poorest the townships here in Cape Town, Khayelitsha.
So this is where the research comes in. I’m hoping to ask patients how they experience HIV and TB services to see what lessons can be found to improve TB adherence in the future.
Currently I’m at planning stage, but its been an interesting journey so far!
At the moment I am trying to research how patients can be helped to take their TB medications. Its a big issue: TB is the third biggest killer, and despite decades of attempts to control it the number of people with it are rising. In some parts of South Africa only half of patients finish their treatment. While patients in the West don’t do much better on most treatment, the consequences of non adherence to TB are serious: illness, death, transmission to others and the build up of “super bug” TB that’s resistant to all medication.
TB treatment is hard to take. Its a 6 month course, has horrible side effects and its heavily stigmatized in society. However, the treatment for AIDS is similar, but,the rates of the adherence are higher. Why?
Big part of it might be the way health programs help patients take their meds. TB has relied on direct observation, getting someone, usually a nurse to watch you pop your pills, in theory, every day. But big trials have shown this doesn't work, in developed or developing countries. AIDS treatment has relied on education, lots of counseling about what being in treatment will involve, treatment supporters, support groups and community campaigns. In fact there have been some impressive and inspiring projects that have used this approach to get really high rates of adherence. MSF have run one of the most famous projects in one of poorest the townships here in Cape Town, Khayelitsha.
So this is where the research comes in. I’m hoping to ask patients how they experience HIV and TB services to see what lessons can be found to improve TB adherence in the future.
Currently I’m at planning stage, but its been an interesting journey so far!
posted by Dave at 11:12 AM
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