Many countries are in the process of establishing or scaling up treatment of drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR TB). Effectively scaling up treatment will require addressing health systems–related issues, such as task shifting to alleviate human resources shortages and greater community engagement.
A principal challenge in establishing or scaling up treatment of DR TB is deciding what model of care to implement. A crucial step is bridging the gap between the hospital and the community to ensure continuity of care. For DR TB treatment to be truly patient-centered, patients must be supported in their homes and communities.
The USAID TB CARE II project, with support from Partners In Health, collaborated with Ministries of Health and National TB Program managers in Southern, West, and Central Africa, along with NGOs and other TB stakeholders to develop this guide on introducing and managing programs for community-based DR TB care. This guide provides practical, step-by-step guidance on how to organize, implement, and monitor community based care for DR TB. It is equally useful for program planning or supervision. The target audience for this guide is TB Program Managers, governments, policy makers, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), donors and TB advocates.
