Experiences of Patients with Tuberculosis Who Underwent Completed TB Treatment during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Indonesia: A Qualitative Study.
Syamikar Baridwan Syamsir, Henny Permatasari, Agus Setiawan
PMID 37901186WHAT IT FOUND
Fourteen Indonesian patients cured of TB described delayed diagnosis because cough and fever looked like COVID-19 and because they feared clinics.
Stigma and job loss were reported, while family reminders and nurse home medicine visits were described as support.
Key findings
01Patients described overlapping TB and COVID-19 symptoms, fear of clinics, and difficulty obtaining TB tests as barriers to diagnosis.
02During treatment, patients described travel restrictions, medication side effects, and stigma or job loss.
03Family reminders, nurse home medicine delivery with checks, and information materials were described as support during treatment.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
All participants had already completed TB treatment and were declared cured, so the study does not describe patients who stopped treatment, relapsed or died. Only patients were interviewed; healthcare providers and families were not included, so the study cannot describe their perspectives. Participants were recruited from two community health centres in West Java, Indonesia, so findings may not transfer to other settings. The study used purposive sampling and 14 interviews, so it describes experiences rather than measuring how common they are.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these themes as proof that nurse home visits or brochures improve TB completion. The study described experiences of 14 patients who had already completed treatment; it did not test an intervention or compare outcomes.