Thesis (MCur)--University of Stellenbosch, 2002. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The Minister of Health identified tuberculosis as a National Health priority since the incidence of tuberculosis in South Africa is increasing. The researcher practiced as a community health nurse for seven years and was actively involved with the community. It was experienced that irrespective well qualified nursing staff and accessible and available health services, there was an increase in tuberculosis in the Western Cape. A non-experimental, descriptive, explorative study was conducted in a selected community in the Western Cape to address the research problem: What are the knowledge, perceptions, attitudes and treatment practices of tuberculosis patients; their resources for support; and community leaders? Structured interviews were held with 50 patients randomly selected from patients attending the health clinic. Focus interviews were held with community leaders purposefully selected for the research. A modified Photovoice technique was also applied to the patients where they had to draw a picture of their feelings when diagnosed with tuberculosis and the impact of the disease on themselves and their environment. The findings revealed a lack of information, major stigmatization of the disease, and many patients not adhering to their treatment regimes. Most of the patients had a negative idea of tuberculosis indicating that it always causes death. Community leaders were very committed to assist in combating the problems in their community. The findings indicated that health staff can be of more help to the patient although they were generally satisfied with the care they received. Recommendations include that health promotion programmes should be planned in co-operation with community members to ensure that programmes are appropriate and address the real needs of the community. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die Minister van Gesondheid het tuberkulose as 'n Nasionale Gesondheidsprioriteit geïdentifiseer aangesien daar 'n toename in die insidensie van tuberkulose in Suid-Afrika is. Die navorser het vir sewe jaar as 'n gemeenskapsverpleegkundige gepraktiseer en was aktief betrokke by die gemeenskap. Die navorser het gevind dat daar 'n toename in tuberkulose in die Wes-Kaap was ten spyte van goed gekwalifiseerde verpleegpersoneel asook toeganklike en beskikbare gesondheidsdienste. 'n Nie-eksperimentele, beskrywende, verkennende studie is gedoen op 'n geselekteerde gemeenskap in die Wes-Kaap om die navorsingsprobleem aan te spreek: Wat is die kennis, persepsies, houdings en behandelingspraktyke van tuberkulosepasiënte, hulle ondersteuningsbronne en gemeenskapsleiers? Gestruktureerde onderhoude is met 50 pasiënte gevoer wat ewekansig geselekteer is uit pasiënte wat die kliniek besoek het. Fokusonderhoude is met gemeenskapsleiers gevoer wat doelbewus geselekteer is. 'n Gemodifiseerde photo voice tegniek is ook toegepas waar pasiënte 'n skets moes maak van hulle gevoelens toe hulle die eerste keer met tuberkulose gediagnoseer is, asook die impak wat die siekte op hulself en hulomgewing het. Die bevindinge het gewys dat daar 'n gebrek aan kennis was, dat daar 'n grootskaalse stigmatisering van die siekte was en dat baie pasiënte nie by hulle behandelingsregimens hou nie. Die meeste van die pasiënte het 'n negatiewe idee van tuberkulose en het aangedui dat dit altyd die dood veroorsaak. Gemeenskapsleiers was baie hulpvaardig en alhoewel die meeste pasiënte aangedui het dat hulle tevrede was met die sorg wat hulle ontvang het, was daar tog aanduidings dat gesondheidspersoneel van meer hulp kan wees. Aanbevelings sluit in dat gesondheidsbevorderingsprogramme in samewerking met gemeenskapslede beplan moet word om te verseker dat die programme toepaslik is en die werklike behoeftes van die gemeenskap aanspreek.

Thesis (MPH.) -- University of Limpopo, 2019 / Background: Tuberculosis still continues to be a global public health problem and leads to many deaths. In an effective TB control strategy, TB patients are allocated to community care workers who provide care to these patients in their homes. It is important to understand the experiences of community care workers in order to strengthen TB control in the country. Objective(s): The purpose of this study was to explore lived experiences of community care workers of supporting patients taking Tuberculosis treatment. Methods: The design of the study was phenomenological, exploratory, descriptive, and contextual. The study site was Hlogotlou area in Limpopo Province. The target population was all community care workers supporting patients on Tuberculosis treatment. Purposive sampling was used with a sample of 13 participants, which was determined by the saturation of data. Semi-structured interviews were conducted using an interview guide and all sessions were audio recorded. The data were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Results: The results highlighted certain challenges met by community care workers. Patients thought that community care workers are there to kill them with treatment, they had mood swings during treatment and this caused them to use vulgar words and become aggressive to their community care workers. Most community care workers did not have enough information about Tuberculosis. This made it difficult for them to support patients on tuberculosis treatment. Conclusions: A good relationship with patients enhances treatment compliance. The researcher recommends that intensive training about tuberculosis should be provided to community care workers.

Thesis ( MPH.) -- University of Limpopo, 2022 / Background Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) has recently resulted to be in an emergence state globally and this of constitute a big challenge for TB control and the goals of the World Health Organization’s End TB Strategy. Aminoglycosides (AG) were often used as part of treatment of life-threatening illnesses such as MDR-TB for decades, however their adverse effects are widely described and hearing loss is one of the major side effects. The risk factors for hearing loss in patients treated with AG include the dose and duration of AG, infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), older age and persons exposed to a high level of noise while the damage can be total and permanent. Severe hearing impairment has been reported to occur among patients treated for MDR-TB with injectable drugs, especially among the elderly and patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus, however, Bedaquiline containing regimens have demonstrated improved outcomes over injectable containing regimens in the long-term treatment of MDR-TB. Methods The objective of the current study was to investigate the burden of hearing loss amongst MDR-TB patients on bedaquiline at Zithulele Hospital in Eastern Cape Province. Therefore, the current study followed a quantitative retrospective approach using simple random sampling to select MDR-TB patients treated with bedaquiline and having a baseline audiogram be the initiation of treatment. The data was captured in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and then transferred to Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 20 for data analysis in which categorical variables were presented as percentages and frequencies, while continuous variables was presented as mean, median and standard deviation lastly, comparison of categorical variables was done using a Chi-Squared test, whereas continuous variables were compared using a t-test. P-value of <0.05 will be considered significant. Results The mean age for the participants was 39.2 years with standard deviation of 11.8 and there was no statistical significance difference between the age groups (p value = 0.178). There no was a statistical significance difference between the employment status (p value = 0.794), previous use of injectables (p value = 0.360) and type of hearing of loss (p value = 0.536). Majority of the MDR-TB patients on bedaquiline did not have hearing loss at 67% while those who had gradual hearing loss and sudden hearing loss were 26.8% and 6.2% respectively. There was no statistical significance difference between males and females in both the right and left ears, however, the right ear results appeared to be slightly worse than the left ear results. It was found that both males and females had a high frequency hearing loss in the left ears of 26.8% and 22.2% respectively as compared to the right ears with of 25.9% and 1.6% respectively. The was a statistical significance difference between the age groups in both ears for hearing loss at p-value <0.001. The overall prevalence of hearing loss was found to be 32.9% and hearing loss at 20dB or more loss at any frequency was low at 11.9% while hearing loss at 10B or more loss at any frequency was the highest at 32.9% followed by loss response at 3 consecutive frequencies at 26.2%. Hearing loss was increasing with increasing age from 8.3% in age group and age was significantly associated with hearing loss as older patients were 2.2 times more likely to have a hearing loss at a degree of 20dB and 4.4 times more likely to have a hearing loss at a degree of 10dB. Previous use of injectables was also significantly associated with hearing loss as patients who used injectables previously were 11.5 times more likely to have a hearing loss at degree of 10dB, 5.6 and 11.3 times more likely to have a hearing loss at loss response at 3 consecutive frequencies and overall hearing loss respectively. Conclusion South Africa has a high burden of drug-resistant tuberculosis (DRTB) and until recently, ototoxic aminoglycosides were predominant in treatment regimens. Drug resistant TB treatment with bedaquilines caused clinically and statistically significant deterioration of hearing loss in patients, most prominently at high frequencies. Although public health interventions to prevent hearing loss have been deemed cost effective and have meaningful individual and economic implications, hearing loss and its prevention consistently receive inadequate attention as a global public health priority. Despite the serious impacts of hearing loss, little is known regarding prevalence of ototoxic hearing loss after treatment for DR-TB. Therefore, when the use of injectable ototoxic medications is unavoidable, audiological ototoxicity monitoring is essential to optimise hearing-related outcomes.

The study seeks to identify factors affecting compliance to TB treatment and determine those that make some patients complete TB treatment in Andara district, Kavango region in Namibia. The self-efficacy model by Shortridge-Baggett and Van der Bijl (1996) was the conceptual framework which guided this study. A quantitative, cross-sectional, descriptive and comparative study design was used. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire administered by a registered nurse. A total of 49 respondents were interviewed: (23 compliant and 26 non-compliant). Informed consent was obtained from each respondent prior to data collection. SPSS and MS Excel were used to analyse data and describe differences between the two groups. Respondents (N=26) gave „feeling better‟ 7 (27%), „distance‟ 8 (31%), „lack of family support‟ 4 (15%), no food 2 (8%), side effects 2 (8%), other reasons 2 (8%) and medicines not working 1 (4%), as their reasons for not completing treatment. However, long waiting times at the clinic, non availability of food and lack of knowledge of TB or treatment are the significant factors contributing to non-compliance. / Health Studies / M.A. (Public Health)

Digitized using a Konica Minolta 211 PCL Scanner. 300dpi (OCR). / Thesis (MA (Psychology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie ondersoek die uitvoerbaarheid van die implementering van 'n benadering genaamd Kort Motiverende Onderhoud (KMO) in die konteks van die behandeling van tuberkulose (TB) in Suid-Afrika. TB is 'n ernstige bedreiging vir wereldwye gesondheid en is nog nie onder beheer gebring nie, ten spyte van die feit dat dit geneesbaar is. Sedert die beskikbaarheid van effektiewe medisyne-middels, is die oorsaak vir die voortdurende verspreiding van die siekte gesien as 'n probleem van gebrekkige deurvoerbaarheid van die behandeling. Hierdie eng begrip van die epidemie is deur die psigologiese en sosiale wetenskappe, asook andere, verbreed. Daar is baie debatering oor en om die onderwerp van deurvoerbaarheid en die internasionale TB beheer beleid, bekend as Direkte Observerings-Behandeling, Kortkursus (DOBK). Sekere deskundiges argumenteer dat DOBK 'n onvoldoende respons is tot die uitdaging van die verbetering van deurvoerbaarheid en die kontrolering van TB. Dit skyn asof die meelewende aspekte van die TB behandeling nagelaat word in die TB beleide en protokol en sommige beweer dat hierdie faktor sowel as gebrekkige aandag aan ander sistemiese faktore verantwoordelik is vir swak programuitvoering. Suid-Afrika is 'n voorbeeld hiervan, waar die kommunikasie tussen verpleegsters en TB pasiente beskryf word as outoriter, verpleegstergesentreerd en taakgeorienteerd. 'n Pasientgesentreerde benadering (PGB) is 'n wyse waarop die pasientversorger kommunikasie en die bevredigingsvlak van die pasient bevorder word en sommige promoveer dit as a wyse om die behandelingsdeurvoerbaarheid en genesingsuitkomste te verbeter. Die uitdaging is egter dat die konsep van 'pasientgesentreerdheid' op verskeidenheid van wyses geinterpreteer en geimplimenteer kan word. KMO is 'n PGB tot kommunikasie wat bestem is om 'n gees van samewerking te bevorder en om mense se gemengde gevoelens oor gedragsverandering by te le. KMO as 'n aanpassing van Motiverende Onderhoudvoering, is 'n spyskaart van konkrete vaardighede of middels wat gesondheidsvoorsieners in onderhoude rakende geneeskundige gedragsverandering kan gebruik. KMO is gebaseer op teoriee oor gedragsverandering en word gebruik in 'n wye verskeidenheid van genesingsbehandeling, insluitende deurvoerbaarheidsbehandeling. Alhoewel dit selde in minder ontwikkelende lande toegepas is en nog nooit in TB, is KMO suksesvol toegepas in ander besige kontekste vir gesondheidsvoorsiening. Die ontwerp van die huidige studie oor die lewensvatbaarheid van KMO in die konteks van TB behandeling in Suid-Afrika het ontstaan uit die ontwerp van 'n groter studie wat ander intervensies vir 'n PGB ingesluit het. Die doelstellinge van die huidige studie was om die konteks te beskrywe en wat gebeur het gedurende die intervensietydperk en om die uitvoerbaarheid van KMO te verduidelik. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis explores the feasibility of implementing an approach called Brief Motivational Interviewing (BMI) in the context of tuberculosis (TB) treatment in South Africa. TB is a serious threat to global health and has not been controlled despite the fact that it is curable. Ever since effective drugs became available, continued spread of the disease has been understood as a problem of poor adherence to treatment. This narrow understanding of the epidemic has been broadened by psychological and social science perspectives among others. There has been much debate around the topic of adherence and the international TB control policy known as Directly Observed Treatment, Short-course (DOTS), as some suggest that it is an incomplete response to the challenge of improving adherence and controlling TB. The caring aspects of TB treatment seem to be neglected in TB policies and protocols, and some argue that this and the lack of attention to other systemic factors are responsible for poor programme performance. South Africa is an example of this, where the communication between nurses and TB patients has been described as authoritarian, nursecentred and task-oriented. A patient-centred approach (PCA) is a way of improving patient-provider communication and patient satisfaction, and some promote it as a way of improving treatment adherence and health outcomes. The challenge, however, is that the concept of 'patient-centredness' can be interpreted and implemented in a variety of ways. BMI is a PCA to communication that is designed to promote a spirit of collaboration and resolve people's mixed feelings about behaviour change. An adaptation of Motivational Interviewing, BMI is a menu of concrete skills or tools that health providers can use in consultations about health behaviour change. BMI is based on theories about behaviour change and has been used to address a wide variety of health behaviours, including treatment adherence. Although seldom applied in less developed country settings and never before applied in TB, BMI has been successfully applied in other busy health care settings. The design of the present study of the feasibility of BMI in the context of TB treatment in South Africa evolved within the design of a larger study that included other interventions designed for a PeA. The present study aims were to describe the context and what happened during the intervention period and to describe BMI's feasibility. Using elements of participatory action research, BMI communication training was developed and implemented with TB staff based in four urban primary health care facilities. A grounded theory approach was used to describe the dynamics of the implementation process and generate a theory about what made BMI more or less feasible in this context. A multidisciplinary team contributed to the study design. Data were gathered largely through participant observation, focus groups and key informant interviews and generated volumes of diverse materials including field notes, training materials, video and audio-taped interactions. The data were analysed using the inductive approach to grounded theory analysis promoted by Glaser (1992) and relied on theoretical sampling and constant comparative analysis. The quality and trustworthiness of the data were ensured through an emphasis on researcher reflexivity and triangulation of the perspectives of different materials, participants and health facilities. The study was implemented as a pilot BMI training process at one facility in Port Elizabeth (Eastern Cape Province) followed by expanded training targeting TB staff of three facilities in Cape Town (Western Cape Province). Data analysis resulted in a categorised description of the research settings, the interactions and relationships among patients, providers, managers and researchers, the training interventions and the way participants responded to it during each phase of the process. Although seemingly similar at the outset, analysis began to show that dynamics of implementation at each facility were complex and multidimensional. The categories that were generated during each cycle of implementation were used to shape the categories selected for the next. Examining the categories across the four health facilities yielded a grounded theory with seven core categories regarding the role of: (1) the personal qualities of the TB staff involved, (2) the way staff moved in and out of the TB service, (3) the leadership, hierarchy and staff dynamics in the health facilities, (4) the pressurised working conditions of TB staff, (5) the poverty of patients, (6) mismatches between the TB programme's protocols and BMI, and (7) the capacity of staff to innovate and improve care. These findings are discussed in terms of the way they respond to the study's research questions and the way the grounded theory categories relate to each other. Their significance is understood from a social constructivist perspective as bound within the context of the study. The findings are also compared to the theoretical perspectives included in the study design and new literature on the diffusion of innovations in service organisations. Recommendations are made for future context-focused research and adherence related intervention development. If interventions like BMI are to be implemented successfully in contexts such as those included in this thesis, policy-makers and managers need to consider the ways in which working conditions, policies and protocols and patient poverty may be counter-productive, and focus on the innovative potential of health staff and teams for delivering patient-centred care.

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Setting Study conducted in Tygerberg, Cape Town in South Africa. Hypothesis Host biomarkers associated with the antimycobacterial immune response during active infection with M. tuberculosis and during anti-tuberculosis chemotherapy are indicative of bacterial killing in the host and can be used in models to predict eventual treatment outcome. Objectives 1. To investigate immune parameters that were selected in a biological context as biomarkers of the extent of disease and early response to anti-tuberculosis treatment. 2. To use selected immune parameters to characterise fast and slow responders to anti-tuberculosis therapy. Findings Evaluation of cytokine multiplex fluorescent bead-based immunoassays as a screening tool in the search for biomarkers The data showed that cytokine multiplex fluorescent bead-based immunoassays achieved acceptable recoveries to detect antigen-specific IFN- responses in whole blood supernatant making it attractive for biomarker screening. However, proper optimisation needs to be done and proper controls included when using these kits. Markers of extent of disease High levels of CRP at diagnosis were found to be associated with the presence of multiple cavities on chest X-rays. A high level of suPAR and sICAM-1 at diagnosis were associated with the extent of alveolar disease. Also significant were the associations between the level of granzyme B, LAG-3 at diagnosis and the size of the cavities. No significant associations were observed between sTNFRs or DR5 with the chest X-ray grading of tuberculosis disease. Early classification of fast and slow responders to anti-tuberculosis treatment After cross-validation classification, discriminant analysis (DA) and support vector machine (SVM) analysis of selected immune parameters (sICAM-1 CRP, granzyme B, suPAR, sTNFRs, LAG-3 and CD3dim/CD56+ (% of CD45+) resulted in a 75% to 100% correct classification of the fast responders and a 82% to 100% correct classification of the slow responders when using DA. For SVM, the correct classification of the fast responders ranged from 88% to 100%, and that for the slow responders ranged from 95% to 100%. Differential gene expression in fast and slow responders to treatment Direct comparison of fast and slow responders showed that IL-4 transcripts were significantly higher in the fast responders at week one after initiation of treatment when compared to slow responders. IL-42 was also differentially expressed. Although IL- was significantly up-regulated in both fast and slow responders after one week of treatment compared to diagnosis, IL- expression was more than two folds higher in slow responders than in fast responders. No significant differences between the fast and slow responders were observed in the expression of TGF-, TGF-RII, Foxp3 and GATA-3. Conclusion Predictive models for differential anti-tuberculous treatment responses combining host proteins are promising and should be included in larger prospective studies to find the optimal markers for inclusion into clinical trials of new drugs and for implementation into clinical practice. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Ligging Studie onderneem in Tygerberg, Kaapstad, Suid-Afrika. Hipotese Gasheerbiomerkers wat verband hou met die antimikobakteriële immuunrespons tydens aktiewe infeksie deur M. tuberculosis en tydens teentuberkulose chemoterapie dui op bakteriële doding in die gasheer en kan in modelle gebruik word om die uiteindelike uitkoms van die behandeling te voorspel. Doelwitte 1. Om gekose immuunparameters in ’n biologiese konteks as biomerkers van die omvang van siekte en vroeë reaksie op behandeling te ondersoek. 2. Om gekose immuunparameters te gebruik om vinnige en stadige reageerders op teentuberkulosebehandeling te karakteriseer. Bevindings Evaluering van die sitokien veelvuldige fluoresseer-pêrelbaseerde immuuntoets (cytokine multiplex fluorescent bead-based immunoassays) as ’n siftingsinstrument in die soeke na biomerkers Die data het getoon dat die sitokien veelvuldige fluoresseer-pêrelgebaseerde immuuntoets in staat was om antigeenspesifieke IFN--respons te meet wat dit aanloklik maak vir biomerkersifting. Sorgvuldige optimering moet egter gedoen word en behoorlike beheer moet ingesluit word wanneer hierdie stelle gebruik word. Merkers van omvang van siekte Hoë vlakke van CRP by diagnose is getoon om verband te hou met die teenwoordigheid van veelvoudige holtes op die pasiënte se borskas x-strale. Hoë vlakke van suPAR en sICAM-1 by diagnose was assosieer met die omvang van alveolêre siekte. Die assosiasie tussen die vlakke van granzyme B, LAG-3 by diagnose en die grootte van die holtes was ook betekenisvol. Daar was geen betekenisvolle assosiasies toe sTNFRs of DR5 en die borskas x-straalgradering van tuberkulosesiekte nie. Vroeë klassifikasie van vinnige en stadige reageerders op teentuberkulosebehandeling Ná klassifikasie op grond van kruisstawing het diskriminant-analise (DA) en ondersteuningsvektormasjiene (SVM) van geselekteerde immuunparameters (sICAM-1 CRP, gransiem B, suPAR, sTNFRs, LAG-3 en CD3dim/CD56+ (% van CD45+)) gelei tot ’n 75% tot 100% korrekte klassifikasie van die vinnige reageerders met DA en ’n 82% tot 100% korrekte klassifikasie van stadige reageerders. Vir SVM het die korrekte klassifikasie van vinnige reageerders gewissel van 88% tot 100%, en vir stadige reageerders het dit gewissel van 95% tot 100%. Differensiële geenuitdrukking in vinnige en stadige reageerders op behandeling In vergelyking met die vlak by diagnose is die uitdrukkingsvlak van IL-4 in die vinnige reageerders betekenisvol opgereguleer met ’n faktor van 9.2 teen die eerste week ná die aanvang van behandeling, in kontras met die stadige reageerders. Daar was geen verskille tussen die vinnige en die stadige reageerders met betrekking tot die uitdrukking van TGF-, TGF-RII, Foxp3 en GATA-3 nie. Gevolgtrekking Voorspellende modelle vir differensiële tuberkulose behandelingsresponse wat gasheerproteïene kombineer, hou belofte in en behoort in groter prospektiewe studies ingesluit te word om die mees geskikte merkers te vind vir insluiting in kliniese proewe van nuwe middels en vir implementasie in kliniese praktyk.

No description available.

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree in Masters of Technology in Nursing, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2015. / Introduction Tuberculosis is still a leading cause of deaths in low and middle income countries especially those of Sub-Saharan Africa. The successful implementation of strategies to improve TB outcomes remains critical for South Africa as the country is faced with the burden of many TB related deaths. South Africa has included TB management as a priority programme for the country in its strategies to the achieve millennium development goals. The National Department of Health introduced the CCG programme to assist professional health workers in the control and management of various health conditions including TB. The competent management of the CCGs is central to meeting service delivery objectives. Aim of the study The aim of the study was to explore and describe the experiences of community care givers caring for TB clients. Methodology A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive design was used to conduct the study. Purposive sampling was used to recruit 24 community care givers that were employed by Department of Health receiving a stipend and had been working as community care givers for at least two years. Data was collected using semi structured interviews and was subsequently analysed using Tesch’s method of data analysis Results The themes that emerged from the interviews included: accessibility of kits and protective clothing to the CCGs, their safety and security, training and development, ii including financing of the CCG programme. The following sub-themes emerged as part of the themes: Insufficient supply of kits, alternative means of making kits available to the CCG’s, promotion and supply of uniforms for the CCGs, procurement and supply of protective clothing, alternative ways of getting protective clothes, vaccination against communicable diseases, safety allowance, transparency on criteria for further training and development, age limits regarding the selection of the CCGs, lack of career pathing, stipend received by the CCGs and employment benefits for the CCGs. Recommendations Recommendations were made with regards to institutional management and practice, policy development and implementation, and further research. These included establishing processes for: supply of kits, protective clothes and vaccines, pre and periodical medicals, criteria for further training and development, and issuing of stipend. A broader study involving all the CCGs affiliated to all PHC clinics in eThekwini district on the required support and supervision was also recommended. / M

Thesis (M. A. (Clinical Psychology)) --University of the North, 2002 / The aim of this study was to ascertain base-line information on knowledge, beliefs and feelings about tuberculosis among hospitalized tuberculosis patients. The study was conducted at Dr Machupe Mphahlele Memorial Hospital in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. A sample of 40 tubercuJos is patients, 21 males (52,55%) and 19 women (47,5%), was interviewed. h ·om the sample of 40, 22 patients (55%) too k part in the focus group discussions. Fourteen members of the community, who are relatives of those patients who tookpart in thestud, y were also included in the focus group discussions. The focus group discussions were aimed at better understanding of both the community and the patients' beliefs and perceptions of tuberculosis. The study revealed that the participants studied had a reasonably go od knowledge of tuberculosis. However, there was some confusio n regarding causative and risk factors of tuberculosis and some misconceptions thereof. The study has also found that traditional beliefs tend to impact on the patient's health seeking behaviour, treatment and the overall understanding of the disease.Tuberculosis treatment is still perceived by the majo rity of participants to being long, agonizing and cumbersome and there are still so me doubts as to whether tuberculosis is curable. Participants believed that tuberculosis carries social stigma and thus patients feel isolated in their communities. The results also suggested that education does play a role in the perception of the disease. Participants who had tertiary and secondary education were found to be more knowledgeable on symptoms and health beliefs of tuberculosis than those participants who had primary education, and those who did not have education at all. Factors such as age and gender did not appear to have any influence on the knowledge and feelings of patients on tuberculosis. Therefore, based on the findings, culturally sensitive health education and consideration of the patients' educational level are important variables when dealing with tuberculosis patients.

Thesis (M. Pharm) --University of Limpopo, 2013 / Tuberculosis (TB) threatens the public health all over the world. South Africa is ranked fifth on the list of 22 high burden countries. SA has not achieved the international targets for cure rate and default rate yet. This is attributed to high HIV/AIDS prevalence and emergence of multi- drug resistant TB. Limpopo Province experiences poor TB treatment outcome, in spite of the adoption of strategies that proved globally that they can improve the outcome. The factors affecting treatment outcome in Limpopo Province are as yet undocumented. The specific objectives of this study were to determine the demographic profile of TB patients in the Limpopo Province; to investigate the treatment outcomes and to establish the relationship between age, gender, HIV status, treatment regimen and health facility level and the treatment outcomes in patients diagnosed with pulmonaryTB for period between 2006- 2010, inclusive, in Limpopo Province. Method Retrospective data for the period between 2006 and 2010 (inclusive) were reviewed, and 1200 records of cases of confirmed TB patients were sampled from the ETR.net provincial database. All these patients were diagnosed and treated according to guidelines adopted by the national TB control programme. Standard WHO definitions were used to classify the TB treatment outcome. Chi squire test was used to investigate the association between age, gender, diagnostic category and treatment regimen and treatment outcome. Results Of the 1200 TB cases sampled, 656 (54%) were male. Most of them fell within the age group 22- 55 years (n=871; 72.5%)). According to diagnostic category, 1035 (86.2%) were new cases; 962 (80.1%) cases received regimen I (two months of rifampicin [R], isoniazid [H], pyrazinamide [Z} and ethambutol [E] followed by four months of rifampicin and isoniazid, 2RHZE+ 4RH); 893 (74.4%) cases had successful treatment; 118 (9.8%) defaulted on treatment; 26 (2.2%) had treatment failure, and 163 (13.6%) died. There was a strong association between age (P <0.001), diagnostic category (P < 0.001), treatment regimen (P < 0.001), and health facility level (P< 0.001) and treatment outcome. The success treatment was highly significant (P <0.001) for the cases that fell within the age group 3- 6 years, those that were diagnosed as new cases, those that received treatment at mine health facilities or were treated with regimen III (2RHZ + 4RH). While the default rate was highly significant (P< 0.05) for the cases aged 7- 12 or 22- 55 years, patients that had history of defaulting, and those that received treatment at a community health centre or village health facilities –. treatment failure was highly significant (P< .05) for Those fell within age group 22-55 or 56- 74 years, those had initial treatment failure, those that received treatment at hospital or mobile health facilities or treated with regimen II (3RHZES + 5RH) while the death rate was highly significant (P< 0.05) for the cases either fall within age group 0-2, 22- 55 or 56- 74 years, had initial failure, received treatment at hospital or village health facilities or treated with regimen). The un success rate was very highly significant (P< 0.001) for those either characterized by; fall within age group 22- 55 years, had initial failure, received treatment at hospital or village health facilities or treated with regimen II. Conclusion TB treatment outcome are poor in the Limpopo Province, particularly among patients with previous history of TB treatment, those receiving treatment in hospitals, or those being treated with first line regimen II. This situation requires that the TB control programme and other relevant programmes be strengthened, for instance through integration at facility level, towards more effective response to the challenges which hamper progress towards international targets on TB. Further studies are needed to address the effect of HIV status and AIDS, CD4+ cell counts, anti-retroviral therapy (ART), cotrimoxazole preventive therapy (CPT) and radiological presentation, and their effect on TB treatment outcome in Limpopo Province. Those data are not routinely captured on ETR.net, hence were not included in the present study.