Role of informal healthcare providers in tuberculosis care in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic scoping review.

Achieving targets set in the End TB Strategy is still a distant goal for many Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). The importance of strengthening public-private partnership by engaging all identified providers in Tuberculosis (TB) care has long been advocated in global TB policies and strategi...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Poshan Thapa, Rohan Jayasuriya, John J Hall, Kristen Beek, Parthasarathi Mukherjee, Nachiket Gudi, Padmanesan Narasimhan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2021-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0256795&type=printable
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1832540016871473152
author Poshan Thapa
Rohan Jayasuriya
John J Hall
Kristen Beek
Parthasarathi Mukherjee
Nachiket Gudi
Padmanesan Narasimhan
author_facet Poshan Thapa
Rohan Jayasuriya
John J Hall
Kristen Beek
Parthasarathi Mukherjee
Nachiket Gudi
Padmanesan Narasimhan
author_sort Poshan Thapa
collection DOAJ
description Achieving targets set in the End TB Strategy is still a distant goal for many Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). The importance of strengthening public-private partnership by engaging all identified providers in Tuberculosis (TB) care has long been advocated in global TB policies and strategies. However, Informal Healthcare Providers (IPs) are not yet prioritised and engaged in National Tuberculosis Programs (NTPs) globally. There exists a substantial body of evidence that confirms an important contribution of IPs in TB care. A systematic understanding of their role is necessary to ascertain their potential in improving TB care in LMICs. The purpose of this review is to scope the role of IPs in TB care. The scoping review was guided by a framework developed by the Joanna Briggs Institute. An electronic search of literature was conducted in MEDLINE, EMBASE, SCOPUS, Global Health, CINAHL, and Web of Science. Of a total 5234 records identified and retrieved, 92 full-text articles were screened, of which 13 were included in the final review. An increasing trend was observed in publication over time, with most published between 2010-2019. In 60% of the articles, NTPs were mentioned as a collaborator in the study. For detection and diagnosis, IPs were primarily involved in identifying and referring patients. Administering DOT (Directly Observed Treatment) to the patient was the major task assigned to IPs for treatment and support. There is a paucity of evidence on prevention, as only one study involved IPs to perform this role. Traditional health providers were the most commonly featured, but there was not much variation in the role by provider type. All studies reported a positive role of IPs in improving TB care outcomes. This review demonstrates that IPs can be successfully engaged in various roles in TB care with appropriate support and training. Their contribution can support countries to achieve their national and global targets if prioritized in National TB Programs.
format Article
id doaj-art-06cda6fcee724ff6871601e9fb45b8e7
institution Kabale University
issn 1932-6203
language English
publishDate 2021-01-01
publisher Public Library of Science (PLoS)
record_format Article
series PLoS ONE
spelling doaj-art-06cda6fcee724ff6871601e9fb45b8e72025-02-05T05:32:56ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032021-01-01169e025679510.1371/journal.pone.0256795Role of informal healthcare providers in tuberculosis care in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic scoping review.Poshan ThapaRohan JayasuriyaJohn J HallKristen BeekParthasarathi MukherjeeNachiket GudiPadmanesan NarasimhanAchieving targets set in the End TB Strategy is still a distant goal for many Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). The importance of strengthening public-private partnership by engaging all identified providers in Tuberculosis (TB) care has long been advocated in global TB policies and strategies. However, Informal Healthcare Providers (IPs) are not yet prioritised and engaged in National Tuberculosis Programs (NTPs) globally. There exists a substantial body of evidence that confirms an important contribution of IPs in TB care. A systematic understanding of their role is necessary to ascertain their potential in improving TB care in LMICs. The purpose of this review is to scope the role of IPs in TB care. The scoping review was guided by a framework developed by the Joanna Briggs Institute. An electronic search of literature was conducted in MEDLINE, EMBASE, SCOPUS, Global Health, CINAHL, and Web of Science. Of a total 5234 records identified and retrieved, 92 full-text articles were screened, of which 13 were included in the final review. An increasing trend was observed in publication over time, with most published between 2010-2019. In 60% of the articles, NTPs were mentioned as a collaborator in the study. For detection and diagnosis, IPs were primarily involved in identifying and referring patients. Administering DOT (Directly Observed Treatment) to the patient was the major task assigned to IPs for treatment and support. There is a paucity of evidence on prevention, as only one study involved IPs to perform this role. Traditional health providers were the most commonly featured, but there was not much variation in the role by provider type. All studies reported a positive role of IPs in improving TB care outcomes. This review demonstrates that IPs can be successfully engaged in various roles in TB care with appropriate support and training. Their contribution can support countries to achieve their national and global targets if prioritized in National TB Programs.https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0256795&type=printable
spellingShingle Poshan Thapa
Rohan Jayasuriya
John J Hall
Kristen Beek
Parthasarathi Mukherjee
Nachiket Gudi
Padmanesan Narasimhan
Role of informal healthcare providers in tuberculosis care in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic scoping review.
PLoS ONE
title Role of informal healthcare providers in tuberculosis care in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic scoping review.
title_full Role of informal healthcare providers in tuberculosis care in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic scoping review.
title_fullStr Role of informal healthcare providers in tuberculosis care in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic scoping review.
title_full_unstemmed Role of informal healthcare providers in tuberculosis care in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic scoping review.
title_short Role of informal healthcare providers in tuberculosis care in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic scoping review.
title_sort role of informal healthcare providers in tuberculosis care in low and middle income countries a systematic scoping review
url https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0256795&type=printable
work_keys_str_mv AT poshanthapa roleofinformalhealthcareprovidersintuberculosiscareinlowandmiddleincomecountriesasystematicscopingreview
AT rohanjayasuriya roleofinformalhealthcareprovidersintuberculosiscareinlowandmiddleincomecountriesasystematicscopingreview
AT johnjhall roleofinformalhealthcareprovidersintuberculosiscareinlowandmiddleincomecountriesasystematicscopingreview
AT kristenbeek roleofinformalhealthcareprovidersintuberculosiscareinlowandmiddleincomecountriesasystematicscopingreview
AT parthasarathimukherjee roleofinformalhealthcareprovidersintuberculosiscareinlowandmiddleincomecountriesasystematicscopingreview
AT nachiketgudi roleofinformalhealthcareprovidersintuberculosiscareinlowandmiddleincomecountriesasystematicscopingreview
AT padmanesannarasimhan roleofinformalhealthcareprovidersintuberculosiscareinlowandmiddleincomecountriesasystematicscopingreview