Factors determining family and social support among pulmonary tuberculosis patients in East Khasi Hills, Meghalaya: a cross-sectional study.

INTRODUCTION: Family support plays a vital role in the outcome of individuals with tuberculosis (TB). OBJECTIVES: To determine the family and social support among individuals with pulmonary TB during treatment. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 237 pulmonary TB patients currently in the continuous phase of treatment. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to determine the association and predictors for family and social support. P-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The mean age of the respondents was 31.97 ± 12.51 years, and a majority (58.2%) of the respondents with TB disease were 18 to 38 years old, and 59.9% were males. Around 49.7% of the pulmonary TB patients received a high level of family support, whereas 73% received a high level of social support. The determinants like age, average monthly income, the educational level of the head of the family and the occupational level of both the patients and the head of the family are associated with family support. CONCLUSION: This study recommends a coordinated strategy to treat TB that involves not only professional services but also the vital social support network of family and community that is required throughout therapy.

Burnout and sleep quality among community health workers during the pandemic in selected city of Andhra Pradesh.

Background: This pandemic has resulted in physical and emotional exhaustion among everyone, especially among community healthcare workers (CHWs), resulting in increased burnout and poor sleep quality. This pandemic has increased responsibilities for Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers and Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM) at the grassroots. Previous studies have shown that infectious diseases like SARS and MERS directly affect sleep. With the COVID-19 pandemic, burnout and poor sleep among healthcare workers are expected to increase. Aim: To determine the prevalence of burnout and sleep quality among community health workers. Settings: and Design: This Cross-sectional study was conducted from February to April 2020 in Urban Primary Health care centres of Guntur city, Andhra Pradesh. Methods and material: Copenhagen Burnout Inventory scale (CBI) with a 5-point Likert scale and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) Questionnaire were used among four hundred and ten study participants. Descriptive statistics and the Chi-square test were used; a p-value of ≤0.05 is considered significant. Results: The prevalence of personal burnout was 16.8%, while work-related and pandemic-related burnouts were 10.5% and 25.4%, respectively. The prevalence of poor sleep quality was 35.09%. Fear of contracting the virus was present among 38.3%. Fear of infecting the family members because of their exposure was reported by 36.6% of the respondents; 71.7% and 79.3% reported receiving support from the organisation and colleagues, respectively. Conclusions: The provision of necessary equipment, regular check-ups and timely interventions will minimise the risk of stress and burnout.