People- and patient-centred care for tuberculosis: models of care for tuberculosis

The first pillar in the World Health Organisation's (WHO's) End TB strategy is 'Integrated, patient-centred tuberculosis (TB) care and prevention'. However, what are patient- and people-centred care, and why are they important for TB care and prevention?

To define the concept of patient-centred care, the rationale for it, and its evolution into people-centred care; and to explore evidence on whether people-centred approaches work for TB and present key areas where continuous efforts are needed to support their implementation.

Based on the reasoning and the evidence presented, we propose four areas where further action is needed to ensure that people-centred TB care and prevention can achieve their potential: 1) reaching consensus on definitions and terminology; 2) strengthening research; 3) using and evaluating new technology; and 4) nurturing country leadership and advocacy.

Integrated, people-centred TB care and prevention should be a guiding light for all those involved in the quest to eliminate TB. However, much still needs to be done to bridge the gaps between the potential and actual performance of national programmes.