TITLE:
Enhancing Childhood TB Notifications by Strengthening Linkages with Large Hospitals in Pakistan—Childhood TB in Large Hospitals, Pakistan
AUTHORS:
Ali Saeed Mirza, Razia Fatima, Aashifa Yaqoob, Ejaz Qadeer, Ahmed Wali, Afshan Khurshid, Mahboob Ul Haq, Ajay M. V. Kumar
KEYWORDS:
Tuberculosis, Childhood Tuberculosis, Hospital DOTS Linkages, Pakistan, SORT IT
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Tuberculosis Research,
Vol.6 No.1,
March
21,
2018
ABSTRACT: To improve childhood Tuberculosis management, the National Tuberculosis Program implemented a package of interventions Hospital DOTS linkages (HDL) in 2015 in 144 tertiary and secondary care hospitals across Pakistan. This included systematic engagement of hospital administration and all specialist doctors, staff training and regular facility-based review meetings. HDL was associated with 35% increase in childhood TB notifications in 2015 (versus 2014) in HDL sites as compared to 16% increase in non-HDL sites. The increase was seen across provinces, age-groups and sexes, but did not correlate with presence of Xpert MTB/RIF®or “screeners” (health workers deployed to screen children for TB).