Treatment Adherence in Patients with Tuberculosis: An Integrative Review

Abstract

Introduction: Tuberculosis (TB), caused by a single infectious agent, is the second leading cause of death worldwide, following coronavirus disease 2019, resulting in almost twice as many deaths as HIV/AIDS. Over 10 million people continue to develop TB annually. Thus, this review aimed to explore the treatment adherence in patients with TB and identify the key barriers affecting their adherence to therapy. Methods: This integrative review utilized Joanna Briggs Institute reporting guidelines for scoping reviews. Researchers completed literature searches across PubMed, ProQuest, Scopus, CINAHL, Cochrane, and Garuda databases to find English and Bahasa Indonesian full texts published from 2013 to 2023. In addition, the review followed the Whittemore and Knafl framework and employed the Critical Appraisal Prospective Study Instrument for quality control. Results: The results of 13 studies examining treatment adherence, barriers, and the role of health workers in TB revealed that individuals, service policies, and comorbidities affect TB treatment adherence. Moreover, treatment barriers were primarily caused by a lack of social support, drug side effects, economic factors, and low levels of knowledge. Nonetheless, health workers contributed to improving TB treatment adherence through supervising medication intake, providing education and counseling, and collaborating with their coworkers. Conclusion: Our findings demonstrated the importance of understanding medication adherence, barriers, and the role of health workers in integrative care of TB patients.

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