M.Cur. / In 1995, the South African Department of Health described tuberculosis (TB) as South Africa's number one health problem. The Directly Observed Treatment Short-course (DOTS) strategy was thereafter implemented as a way of managing TB patients. One of its key elements is a network of trained treatment supporters who are able to support and observe TB patients swallow their treatment. In Alexandra Township a group of treatment supporters was trained in 1998 and another in 2002 but have subsequently I left the community based DOTS programme. ,..~ Why do treatment supporters leave the community based DOTS programme? What can be done to make treatment supporters stay on the community based DOTS programme? An exploratory, descriptive, qualitative contextual study was undertaken to determine the factors: • that interfere with the retention of treatment supporters within the community based DOTS programme in Alexandra Township; • that can facilitate the retention of treatment supporters on the community based DOTS programme; and • to formulate strategies that can be used to promote the retention of treatment supporters within the community based DOTS programme in Alexandra Township. Community nurses, treatment supporters and members of the Anti-TB Association were selected for the study. Focus group interviews were conducted with all three sample groups. The following questions comprised the focus group discussions with all respondents: • What do you think makes treatment supporters leave the community based DOTS programme in Alexandra Township?; and • What do you think should be done to make treatment supporters stay within the community based DOTS programme in Alexandra Towns hip? iii Under.,the following categories factors that interfere as well as factors that can facilitate the retention of treatment supporters were identified: • factors relating to the working relationship between community nurses and treatment supporters; • factors relating to the training of treatment supporters; • factors relating to the management of the community based DOTS programme in Alexandra township. I Data was analysed by using Kerlinger's (1986:477-483) method of content analysis. Strategies for the retention of treatment supporters within the community based DOTS programme in Alexandra Township were formulated. These were based on the study findings and the reviewed literature.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:uj/uj:1848 |
| Date | 06 December 2011 |
| Creators | Mophosho, Zanele Theresa |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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