Community health workers can be trained to identify patients eligible for tuberculosis preventive therapy, but encounter barriers to programme implementation in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Abstract

Tuberculosis (TB) remains one of the top 10 causes of death worldwide, ranking as the leading cause of death from infectious disease,  above HIV and AIDS. South Africa has the sixth highest TB incidence rate in the world and the world’s largest HIV epidemic. This study  sought to demonstrate the feasibility of community health workers (CHWs) contributing to the implementation of tuberculosis preventive  therapy (TPT) among people living with HIV and AIDS. Twelve community health workers were trained to test for  communicable and non-communicable diseases and screen for TPT eligibility. They visited a select number of homes monthly to conduct  screening for HIV, TB and non-communicable diseases. We recorded screening results, rates of referral for TPT, linkage to care — defined  as being seen in the clinic for TPT — and treatment initiation. Among the 1 279 community members screened, 248 were  identified as living with HIV, 99 (39.9%) individuals were identified as eligible for TPT, and 46 (46.5%) were referred to care. Among those  referred, the median age was 39 (IQR 30-48) and 29 (63%) linked to care; 11 (37.9%) of those linked subsequently initiated treatment. In  rural South Africa, it is feasible to train CHWs to identify and refer patients eligible for TPT, but losses occurred at each step of the  cascade. CHWs can facilitate TPT implementation, although further implementation research exploring and addressing barriers to TPT  (on an individual, provider and systems level) should be prioritised to optimise their role in rural resource-limited settings.