The social determinants of tuberculosis treatment adherence in a remote region of Papua New Guinea

BMC Public Health

Research Article

Bisato Gula¹  Daniel Pelowa¹  Robert Dowi¹  Sinba Wamagi¹  Jeffrey Warner²  Tanya Diefenbach-Elstob²  Peter Siba³  Keyanato Siwaeya⁴  David Plummer⁵ 

[1] Balimo District Hospital, Balimo, Western Province, Papua New Guinea;College of Public Health, Medical & Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, 4811, Townsville, QLD, Australia;Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook University, 4811, Townsville, QLD, Australia;College of Public Health, Medical & Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, 4811, Townsville, QLD, Australia;Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research, Goroka, Eastern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea;District Health Services Hospital, Newtown-Balimo, Western Province, Papua New Guinea;School of Medicine, Griffith University, 4222, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia;

关键词: Tuberculosis;    Papua New Guinea;    Treatment adherence;    DOTS;    Remote health;    Subsistence;    Witchcraft;    Health systems;    Health education;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12889-016-3935-7

 received in 2016-06-07, accepted in 2016-12-13,  发布年份 2017

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundPapua New Guinea (PNG) is a diverse and culturally-rich country with severe infrastructural and health problems. Tuberculosis (TB) is widespread, and the number of cases with drug resistance is rising. Treatment adherence is known to be important for both effective treatment and limiting the emergence of drug resistance. The aim of this study was to construct a matrix of the factors that act as facilitators or barriers to TB treatment adherence in a remote region of PNG.MethodsThe study was based in the Balimo region of the Western Province. People known to have undergone TB treatment, as well as staff involved in managing people with TB, were asked to participate in an in-depth interview about their experiences. Purposive sampling was used to identify a diverse range of participants, from different geographic locations, social backgrounds, and with successful and unsuccessful treatment outcomes. The interview data was analysed based on grounded theory methodology.ResultsThe study identified a range of factors that influence TB treatment adherence, with these being classified as personal, systems, and sociocultural. These factors are presented along with suggested recommendations for adaptations to DOTS-based treatment in this region. Barriers included the challenges associated with travel to treatment sites, and the difficulties of undertaking treatment alongside the daily need to maintain subsistence food production. However, facilitators were also identified, including the positive influence of religious beliefs, and high confidence in the ability of DOTS-based treatment to cure TB.ConclusionsDocumenting the wide range of factors that influence treatment adherence in a severely affected remote population will assist in improving TB control. These results provide impetus for further community-based efforts aimed at improving access to TB diagnosis and treatment, and maintaining successful treatment outcomes in the face of emerging drug resistance.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s). 2017