Collaborative Model of Family and Health Workers Support to Improve the Success of Tuberculosis Treatment: A Qualitative Study

The success of pulmonary tuberculosis treatment on patients is significantly determined by several factors, including: behavioral factors, family support, environment, nutritional status, health services, and health worker support. Collaboration between health workers (health promotion, environmental health, nutrition workers, tuberculosis officers) and family support is the best solution to improve the success of pulmonary tuberculosis treatment on patients. This study aims to create a collaborative model between health workers (health promotion, environmental health, nutrition workers, pulmonary tuberculosis officers) and family support to improve the success of pulmonary tuberculosis treatment on patients. This is qualitative research and the data were collected using in-depth interview and Focus Group Discussion (FGD) method. The research results of in-depth interviews prove that the roles of family in supporting the treatment success of tuberculosis patients is limited to the supervision of taking medication, without finding out factors that could support a successful recovery, which are nutritional problems and health behavior. While the roles of health workers in supporting the success of pulmonary tuberculosis treatment is still conducted by healthcare workers of pulmonary tuberculosis. There is no clear division yet between the officers of nutrition, health promotion, and environmental health. The Focus Group Discussion (FGD) results formed a collaborative model of patients' families and health workers in supporting a successful treatment of tuberculosis patients, which are forming an integrated counseling between officers of tuberculosis pulmonary, nutrition, environmental health, and health promotion. The pulmonary tuberculosis patients who will have the first treatment must be accompanied by immediate family and will receive an integrated counseling with the officers of tuberculosis, nutrition, health promotion, and environmental health. By providing counseling to the immedate family, it is expected that they can help health workers in supporting the successful treatment of tuberculosis patients.