African Journal of Pharmacology and Therapeutics (Medical/Clinical focus) | 08 December 2011
Community Health Worker Outreach Activities in Tuberculosis Diagnosis and Treatment Programmes: An Assessment in Northern Nigerian Villages,
O, b, i, K, i, n, g, s, l, e, y, o, l, u, w, a, ,, S, u, n, d, a, y, A, d, e, b, a, y, o, ,, T, e, m, i, t, o, p, e, O, l, a, y, e, m, i
Abstract
Tuberculosis (TB) remains a significant public health concern in northern Nigerian villages, with low rates of diagnosis and treatment completion. A mixed-methods approach was employed, including surveys and qualitative interviews to assess programme impact on diagnostic accuracy and patient engagement. Community health workers conducted over 50% more home visits compared to previous years, resulting in a 20% increase in TB case detection rates among villagers with no significant drop in treatment adherence. Despite initial challenges, community health worker outreach significantly enhanced TB diagnosis and treatment outcomes in northern Nigerian villages. Further training for community health workers should focus on improving diagnostic accuracy and addressing stigma related to TB. Tuberculosis, Community Health Workers, Diagnosis, Treatment Adherence, Northern Nigeria Treatment effect was estimated with $\text{logit}(p<em>i)=\beta</em>0+\beta^\top X_i$, and uncertainty reported using confidence-interval based inference.