10th June 2010

COMDIS works with WHO in Vietnam

COMDIS co-director John Walley travelled to Vietnam last week to work with Vietnamese World Health Organization officials there to adapt the COMDIS tuberculosis (TB) case management guide to Vietnam's policy and context.

In addition to this, Professor Walley adapted a related in-service training module that focused on the use of the desk guide, communication skills and selecting and orienting treatment supporters.

"The TB programme has decided to introduce treatment support for all patients in order to improve treatment outcomes and so, control the disease," said Professor Walley who was in Vietnam in June.

The guide and module, which are for national use, will be piloted before being implemented in 16 provinces and three teaching hospitals in Vietnam.

"It incorporates research based interpretation of treatment support and supervision as included in the new Stop TB strategy 2006," he added.

The research trials and socio-economic studies on treatment support, and desk guide were largely done during the DFID London/Leeds TB knowledge programme that preceded COMDIS and was developed further by COMDIS.