Urging health system research: identifying gaps and fortifying tuberculosis control in Pakistan

To assess the significance of health system research in reducing the burden of tuberculosis and improving the performance of National Tuberculosis Control Program in Pakistan.

Qualitative and quantitative content analysis of research papers on tuberculosis and influence of the research knowledge on the efficiency of the National Tuberculosis Control Program.

We analyzed 268 research papers on tuberculosis in Pakistan published in the 1960-2002 period, from both national and international perspectives. The majority of the studies covered epidemiology of tuberculosis (n=76) in Pakistan, whereas the rest of the papers addressed issues like pediatric tuberculosis (n=53), tuberculosis among Pakistani immigrants (n=35), tuberculosis-HIV synergism (n=24), care seeking (n=19), adherence with tuberculosis treatment (n=14), tuberculosis among women (n=12), tuberculosis prevention (n=12), directly observed treatment short-course (DOTS) strategy modification (n=5), tuberculosis drug resistance (n=7), operational research (n=5), tuberculosis case management (n=4), and research on Mycobacterium (n=2). Qualitative analysis revealed that research and spending on tuberculosis policy and nationwide tuberculosis interventions are not sufficient. Available research knowledge has not yet been translated into the tuberculosis policy and interventions. Furthermore, the lack of insight of the health system on community dynamics and tuberculosis intervention has led to failure in achieving the desired targets in tuberculosis control.

Health system in Pakistan needs to improve tuberculosis control interventions by conducting extensive research on the various potential weaknesses in the field. For an effective tuberculosis eradication program in a highly endemic country such as Pakistan, health system research should be an integral part of the National Tuberculosis Control Program.