Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Background Person-centred care (PCC) is a fundamental pillar of both the Global Plan to End Tuberculosis (TB) and the World Health Organization End TB Strategy. These strategies aim to provide a respectful and accessible service to individuals seeking treatment and care. This study quantifies PCC using the tool developed by TB REACH and assesses its feasibility for routine use in programmatic settings. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study between February and April 2024. A total of 114 adult persons with drug-resistant tuberculosis (PwDR-TB) from 3 districts of rural Bihar were interviewed using consecutive sampling. Data were collected through telephonic interviews using a socio-demographic details form, covering nine domains (dignity/respect, privacy/confidentiality, autonomy, communication, accessibility/convenience, stigma/discrimination, cost/socioeconomic support, quality of care and trust; a mix of 25 Yes/No type) scoring varied per question with a min value of -1 and a high of + 1. The interviewer additionally rated each participant’s ease of responding the questionnaire on a 5-point scale. Descriptive and subgroup analysis was performed using Jamovi 2.6.24. Results The domains of privacy and confidentiality and the quality of care captured negative mean scores (-0.31 and − 0.52) against the maximum score of ‘2’. 97% of participants reported that they were not offered comfortable settings to discuss their health-related concerns at the facilities, and 73% of the participants stated that they had not received information on their diagnostic tests. 88% reported experiencing a medication stockout situation and 15% of them informing that they incurred diagnostic expenses despite the free treatment policy. The interviewer rated 84/114 interviews (73.7%) as easy or very easy to complete, with the remaining interviews rated neutral; none were rated difficult or very difficult. Conclusion Using the PCC tool, we identified multiple gaps in current programmatic person-centred care approaches for PwDR-TB. The lacunae were evident in the domains of dignity, privacy, communication, costs, and quality of services and addressing them is essential to deliver respectful, effective and quality care for PwDR-TB.
Source: Research Square
Language: English
Subfield: Infectious Diseases
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7214159486