title: Tuberculosis in the community: 1. Evaluation of a volunteer health worker programme to enhance adherence to anti-tuberculosis treatment.
abstract: METHODS
  A voluntary health worker project (Operation Elsies River) was started in a high incidence tuberculosis (TB) area in the Western Cape of South Africa, in order to assist the local TB Control programme with case-holding.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the effectiveness of this group of volunteers in enhancing adherence of notified TB patients to tuberculosis treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cohort study was conducted with 351 TB patients (203 children and 148 adults).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The data from the child and the adult groups were analysed separately. The child group was more adherent to TB treatment than adults. The supervision option with staff dedicated to the treatment of TB, such as the clinic and the SANTA crèche, achieved better adherence results for pre-school children. The supervision modalities for adults did not differ in their adherence performance even following adjustment for confounders.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The supervision option provided by the volunteers did not significantly improve the adherence of adult patients to antituberculosis treatment.
authors: National Tuberculosis Research Programme, SA Medical Research Council, South Africa.
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Dick
authors: J H
authors: JH
authors: Schoeman
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Mohammed
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Lombard
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003153:Community Health Services / Q000592:standards*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010349:Patient Compliance; D010865:Pilot Projects; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012307:Risk Factors; D013019:South Africa; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D014838:Volunteers