A quality assessment tool for tuberculosis control activities in resource limited settings

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Infectious Disease Epidemiology
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major global health challenge, causing millions of deaths annually.
• Effective TB control relies on local identification, diagnosis, and treatment of infectious patients.
• Quality assurance is crucial for local TB control efforts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To create a data extraction tool for retrospective chart review.
• To assess TB control programs in resource-limited settings using the International Standards for TB Care (ISTC), 2009.
• To inform quality improvement initiatives for TB care.

Main Methods:

• Development of a data extraction tool based on ISTC, 2009.
• Field testing of the tool at a rural mission hospital in central Kenya.
• Retrospective chart review for TB patient data collection.

Main Results:

• The tool facilitated data collection for TB care quality assessment.
• Host site staff utilized results to develop a quality improvement plan.
• Field testing led to tool revisions for clarity and usability.

Conclusions:

• The developed tool is suitable for resource-limited settings to assess TB care quality.
• The tool can guide the design and implementation of quality improvement initiatives.
• This data collection method supports ongoing assessment of TB control programs.