[A social backing program and motivation provision in patients with tuberculosis].

The purpose of the study was to obtain information on tuberculosis patients' needs, perception, and expectations from health care as a whole and social backing in order to improve the implementation of a program for enhancing tuberculosis patients' motivation for recovery and treatment. Anonymous voluntary questioning using the standard questionnaire was carried out among new tuberculosis cases registered to be treated in 4 subjects of the Russian Federation (the Oryol, Vladimir, and Belgorod Regions, and the Republic of Mariy-El). Eighty-seven patients who had stopped being treated before the appointed time and 1302 patients who were receiving chemotherapy at the time of questioning were interviewed using the questionnaire. The main reasons for treatment discontinuance in those who stopped treatment before the appointed time were the necessity of earning their living (30%), alcohol consumption (30%), inadequate health education of the patients who considered themselves to be healthy (25%). Most patients (67%) preferred rewards as social backing, products/hot food (41%), and fare (32%). Among the proposed social backing schemes, the most popular ones were those that envisaged small daily rewards (23%) or a large final bonus (21%). The majority (67%) of patients preferred outpatient treatment. Thus, patients with tuberculosis face a great deal of problems that affect their motivation for treatment. To satisfy some of these problems is not the direct duties of an antituberculosis service due to the fact that the manning table lacks appropriate posts and an item of expenses. Therefore additional funds should be allocated from the budgets of a subject of the Russian Federation and/or municipal entities for adequate organization of social backing of patients with tuberculosis to enhance the efficiency of their treatment. Collaboration of antituberculosis services of the Russian Federation's subjects with social organizations and an addiction service along the availability of psychological and legal consultations to patients is the most optimum variant of social backing organization to improve the patients' motivation for treatment.

Impact of socio-psychological factors on treatment adherence of TB patients in Russia.

The aim of this study was to assess the impact of social and psychological factors on treatment adherence of patients with tuberculosis (TB). To this end a cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted among TB patients in four Russian regions (Orel, Vladimir, Belgorod oblasts, and Republic of Mari-El) from 01/04/2004 to 31/03/2005. A total of 87 non-adherent and 1302 adherent patients were interviewed. Compared to adherents, non-adherents were significantly more likely to be male, unemployed, have a technical college education, have a history of imprisonment, have a negative emotional status, consider themselves "not sick", not know the treatment period, have negative feelings and distrust for medical staff, not believe they will fully recover, and not want to continue treatment. Patients at highest risk for non-adherence should be identified at the start of treatment, and offered the services of a psychologist. A case management and patient-centered approach should be applied.

Social support and incentives programme for patients with tuberculosis: experience from the Russian Federation.

SETTING: Tuberculosis (TB) services including social support and incentive programmes in four Russian regions (Orel, Vladimir, Belgorod Oblasts and Republic of Mari-El). OBJECTIVES: To determine reasons for TB treatment default among non-adherent patients and to describe patient views of social support programmes and the organisation of treatment. METHODS: Standard anonymous questionnaires were administered to new pulmonary TB patients registered for treatment. RESULTS: A total of 87 non-adherent patients and 1302 adherent patients were interviewed. The leading reasons for treatment default given by non-adherent patients were the need to earn money (30%), alcohol use (30%) and not perceiving themselves as being sick (25%). Monetary incentives were preferred by the majority of patients (67%), followed by food/hot meals (41%) and transportation reimbursement (32%). Overall, among the proposed social support programmes, those that offered small daily incentives (23%) or a big final bonus (21%) were the most popular. The majority of patients (67%) preferred out-patient treatment. CONCLUSION: Collaboration between TB services and social organisations and substance abuse services as well as availability of psychological testing/counselling for patients are social support modalities for improving adherence suggested by study findings. Social support should be combined with a patient-centred approach to TB treatment.