Study of the feasibility of involving male student volunteers in case holding in an urban tuberculosis programme.
This paper reports the feasibility of involving unpaid National Service Scheme (NSS) male student volunteers in a city-based tuberculosis (TB) programme in supplying drugs and retrieving non-complaint TB patients. Twenty-five students were selected after assessing their attitude and were trained on TB drug delivery, home visits and motivation of non-compliant patients. Twenty-three sputum positive patients identified in a medical camp were started on an 8-month short-course chemotherapy regimen. Students supplied the drugs on a weekly basis and defaulters were visited. The treatment completion rate was 83% and defaulter retrieval was 57%. All patients had sputum smear conversion by 2 months and one relapsed during the 24-month follow-up.
Rajeswari
R
R
Tuberculosis Research Centre, Indian Council of Medical Research, Madras, India.
Chandrasekaran
K
K
Thiruvalluvan
E
E
Rajaram
K
K
Sudha
G
G
Sivasubramanian
S
S
Santha
T
T
Prabhakar
R
R
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000995:Antitubercular Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003150:Community Health Workers; D003906:Developing Countries; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D008297:Male; D010349:Patient Compliance; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000188:drug therapy*; D014838:Volunteers
D000995:Antitubercular Agents