Impact of nursing interventions on adherence to treatment with antituberculosis drugs in children and young people: A nonrandomized controlled trial.

AIM: To evaluate the association of a new nursing intervention on the adherence to antituberculosis treatment in a paediatric cohort (<18 years). BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis remains a public health problem worldwide. The risk of developing tuberculosis after primary infection and its severity are higher in children. Proper adherence to antituberculosis treatment is critical for disease control. DESIGN: Nonrandomized controlled trial; Phase 1, retrospective (2011-2013), compared with Phase 2, prospective with intervention (2015-2016), in a referral centre for paediatric tuberculosis in Spain (NCT03230409). METHODS: A total of 359 patients who received antituberculosis drugs after close contact with a smear-positive patient (primary chemoprophylaxis) or were treated for latent tuberculosis infection or tuberculosis disease were included, 261 in Phase 1 and 98 in Phase 2. In Phase 2, a new nurse-led intervention was implemented in all patients and included two educational steps (written information in the child's native language and follow-up telephone calls) and two monitoring steps (Eidus-Hamilton test and follow-up questionnaire) that were exclusively carried out by nurses. RESULTS: Adherence to antituberculosis treatment increased from 74.7% in Phase 1% to 87.8% in Phase 2 (p = 0.014; Chi-square test), after the implementation of the nurse-led intervention. In Phase 2, nonadherence was only associated with being born abroad (28.6% vs. 7.8%; p = 0.019; Chi-square test) and with foreign origin families (27.3% vs. 0%; p < 0.0001; Chi-square test). CONCLUSION: The nurse-led intervention was associated to an increase in adherence to antituberculosis treatment. Immigrant-related variables remained major risk factors for sub-optimal adherence in a low-endemic setting.

Influence of nursing interventions on adherence to treatment with antituberculosis drugs in children and young people: research protocol.

AIM: To evaluate the efficacy of nursing interventions on adherence to antituberculosis medication in a paediatric cohort (aged 0-18 years) and to identify the risk factors for non-compliance. BACKGROUND: After primary infection, children have a higher risk of developing tuberculosis and the severity of the disease is worse in children. Adherence to treatment is essential to control both latent infection and tuberculosis disease. DESIGN: Phase 1: retrospective descriptive analysis (n = 270) in children and young people receiving antituberculosis treatment. Phase 2: quasi-experimental, longitudinal, prospective study (n = 100). The results of the two phases will be compared. METHODS: Phase 1: in children followed up during the period 2011-2013 (non-intervention group), the level of adherence and its associated epidemiological, sociocultural and clinical risk factors will be analysed. Phase 2: educational (written information in the child's mother tongue and follow-up telephone calls) and monitoring (Eidus-Hamilton test and follow-up questionnaire) nursing interventions will be implemented. The results of the two phases will be compared. The definitive Nurse-led Follow-up Programme will then be designed. This project was funded in October 2013. DISCUSSION: The risk factors for poor adherence to antituberculosis therapy need to be identified to optimize treatment success in latent tuberculosis infection and disease in children and young people. Simultaneous application of several educational and monitoring methods in nurse-led follow-up shall improve adherence in children and adolescents in our setting. These results may also be applicable in other settings, where tuberculosis is more prevalent and directly observed treatment strategies are not available.

[THE IMPORTANCE OF PROPER ADHERENCE TO ANTI-TUBERCULOSIS TREATMENT]. / La importancia de una adherencia correcta at tratamiento antitubercutoso.

INTRODUCTION: Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in many countries. This involves a serious public health problem. Adherence to TB treatment is a cornerstone for the control of this disease. DEVELOPMENT: Globally, there are major differences between countries as to the prevalence, incidence and mortality tuberculosis. Spain has a incidence rate higher than that of other countries in their socio-economic background. Treatment is prolonged, with significant side effects. Adherence to treatment is essential to be effective, prevent drug resistance and disease control. Children are more vulnerable to developing the disease than the rest of the population. Several direct and indirect methods measure the adherence to treatment, but none is ideal. Some socio-demographic risk factors that influence on adherence are described (immigration...). In addition, there are another more specific child factors to have been add. CONCLUSIONS: The literature reviewed highlights the importance of proper monitoring of patients to increase adherence to TB treatment. The role of the nurse and their interventions are very important.

Adherence to Antituberculosis Drugs in Children and Adolescents in A Low-Endemic Setting: A Retrospective Series.

Adherence to antituberculosis drug regimens is critical for the prevention and treatment of tuberculosis in pediatrics. In a large retrospective series of children and adolescents in Barcelona, Spain, completion of treatment was worse among patients treated for latent infection, compared with those treated for active tuberculosis or receiving primary chemoprophylaxis. Toxicity and cultural and language barriers were identified as predictors of nonadherence.