Strategies for reducing treatment default in drug-resistant tuberculosis: systematic review and meta-analysis [Review article]
METHODS: We conducted a systematic search up to May 2012 to identify studies describing interventions to support patients receiving treatment for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). The potential influence of study interventions were explored through subgroup analyses.
RESULTS: A total of 75 studies provided outcomes for 18 294 patients across 31 countries. Default rates ranged from 0.5% to 56%, with a pooled proportion of 14.8% (95%CI 12.4–17.4). Strategies identified to be associated with lower default rates included the engagement of community health workers as directly observed treatment (DOT) providers, the provision of DOT throughout treatment, smaller cohort sizes and the provision of patient education.
CONCLUSION: Current interventions to support adherence and retention are poorly described and based on weak evidence. This review was able to identify a number of promising, inexpensive interventions feasible for implementation and scale-up in MDR-TB programmes. The high default rates reported from many programmes underscore the pressing need to further refine and evaluate simple intervention packages to support patients.
Keywords: MDR-TB; default; retention
Document Type: Research Article
Affiliations: 1: Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, UK 2: Médecins Sans Frontières, Cape Town, South Africa; Centre for Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Research, University of Cape Town, South Africa 3: Manson Unit, Médecins Sans Frontières, London, UK 4: Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, UK; Africa Centre for Health and Population Studies, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa 5: Centre for Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Research, University of Cape Town, South Africa; Manson Unit, Médecins Sans Frontières, London, UK
Publication date: 2013-03-01
The International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease publishes articles on all aspects of lung health, including public health-related issues such as training programmes, cost-benefit analysis, legislation, epidemiology, intervention studies and health systems research. The IJTLD is dedicated to the continuing education of physicians and health personnel and the dissemination of information on tuberculosis and lung health world-wide.
Certain IJTLD articles are selected for translation into French, Spanish, Chinese or Russian. They are available on the Union website
- Editorial Board
- Information for Authors
- Subscribe to this Title
- International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease
- Public Health Action
- Ingenta Connect is not responsible for the content or availability of external websites
Receive new issue alert