Specific Interventions for Implementing a Patient-Centered Approach to TB Care in Low-Incidence Cities
Pujol Cruells, Adrià (Institut Germans Trias i Pujol. Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol)
Vilaplana, Cristina (Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Respiratorias)
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

Date:	2019
Abstract:	Background: According to the latest Guidelines from the World Health Organization, there is an increasing need for patient-centered tuberculosis disease management given the socio-economic factors influencing the tuberculosis epidemic. In the present study, we aimed to study TB in Barcelona city from an anthropological point of view and to devise a series of specific proposals to implement a patient-centered approach in our setting. Methods: We carried out a qualitative study using an anthropological approach in Barcelona in the period between November 2017 and November 2018 and proposed specific interventions based on our observations. Results: In practice, in our environment (a low-incidence European country where tuberculosis tends to present in patients with multiple social problems), and despite the goodwill of the care teams, there are no established and stable circuits, or specific tools to ensure that this is done routinely. Based on our observations, we have devised a series of specific proposals to implement a patient-centered approach. With these interventions we aim to (a) directly ameliorate TB patients well-being in any diagnostic/healthcare management center and (b) at more general level, to increase TB detection and treatment adherence. Conclusions: The patient-centered TB management recommended by the WHO might be essential for patients' well-being, but there is a lack of circuits or working protocols that ensure its implementation in a regulated manner. In the present manuscript we explain the various concrete measures that we propose in our region and which could be put into practice in other cities or geographic regions with similar epidemiological characteristics.
Grants:	Instituto de Salud Carlos III CPII18-00031
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject:	Tuberculosis ; Patient-centered approach ; Care management ; Interventions ; Socio-economic factors ; Anthropology
Published in:	Frontiers in Medicine, Vol. 6 (november 2019) , ISSN 2296-858X

DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2019.00273
PMID: 31850353

8 p, 508.1 KB

The record appears in these collections:
Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Health sciences and biosciences > Institut d'Investigació en Ciencies de la Salut Germans Trias i Pujol (IGTP)
Articles > Research articles
Articles > Published articles