HIV and tuberculosis coinfection: a qualitative study of treatment challenges faced by care providers

SETTING: Infectious Diseases Department, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.

OBJECTIVE: To understand the challenges faced by nurses and physicians in the treatment of patients co-infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and tuberculosis (TB), with special focus on opportunities for information and communication technology.

DESIGN: Using a qualitative study design, on-site observations and informal discussions were carried out to become acquainted with the clinical context. Seven nurses and six physicians were purposefully selected to participate in one-to-one in-depth interviews inspired by cognitive task analysis. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim, and analysed using inductive thematic analysis.

RESULTS: Care providers faced challenges related to 1) the complexities inherent to TB-HIV co-treatment, 2) clinical knowledge and task standardisation, 3) care coordination and collaboration, 4) information management, and 5) engaging patients in their treatment.

CONCLUSION: Support is needed on several levels to address the emerging burden of TB-HIV coinfection in Sweden. Educational material and tools need to be further developed to support care providers in making decisions about adequate care, and to support collaborative activities and communication among patients and care providers. Information and communication technology based solutions may provide an opportunity to address some of these challenges.