SECTION 1

Table of Contents

1. SECTION 1 INTRODUCTION
2. SECTION 2 - TB AND TB CONTROL STRATEGY
3. SECTION 3 - INVESTIGATING TB
4. SECTION 4 - DIAGNOSE TB
5. SECTION 5 - PRESCRIBE THE CORRECT TREATMENT REGIMEN
6. SECTION 6 - FILL FORMS AND CARDS
7. SECTION 7 - EDUCATE AND MANAGE TB CONTACTS
8. SECTION 8 - SUPERVISION AND SUPPORT OF TREATMENT
9. SECTION 9 - REVIEW THE PATIENT
10. SECTION 10 - IDENTIFY AND MANAGE PATIENTS WHO INTERRUPT TREATMENT
    1. Identify TB patients who interrupt treatment
    2. Trace the Patient
    3. KEY POINTS
    4. Managing TB Patient with Interrupted Treatment
    5. WRITTEN EXERCISES
    6. ANSWERS
    7. DISCUSSION

DISCUSSION

Exercises 2 and 3 show patients who have interrupted treatment for more than 2 weeks. As well as the action described above, these cases should prompt the TB team to review the arrangements for community-based treatment in those areas. Both patients had been missing treatment for a long time. They might want to ask the following questions.

Is the problem just with those individual patients or is there a wider problem?

Had the Treatment Supporters correctly notified the treatment centre and TB team?

Had the TB team then traced the patients and brought them to the diagnostic centre, or did the patients themselves present for review?

It may be that these cases indicate that the report and retrieval system is not working and that there needs to be review and revision of the system.