Abstract
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
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left the community based DOTS programme.
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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?
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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.
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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.