Appel Kayla, Nackerdien Faeez, Christian Carmen S
Department of Economics, Faculty of Economics and Management Sciences, University of the Western Cape, Bellville.
Afr J Prim Health Care Fam Med. 2025 Jul 30;17(1):e1-e8. doi: 10.4102/phcfm.v17i1.4944.
Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major public health issue in South Africa, a high-burden TB country. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has exacerbated challenges in accessing essential TB services. This scoping review explores how access to TB care was impacted during the pandemic.
This research aimed to review original studies on access to TB care in South Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic using a scoping review methodology.
A scoping review was conducted using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines. Five databases were systematically searched for original peer-reviewed research published between 2020 and 2022. Data were extracted and synthesised using the Penchansky and Thomas framework of healthcare access.
Three studies met the inclusion criteria. The review identified significant disruptions in TB service delivery during the pandemic, including reduced diagnostic capacity, healthcare facility closures and economic barriers. Patients reported delayed diagnoses and increased stigma, while healthcare workers faced resource shortages and operational challenges.
The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated pre-existing barriers to TB care in South Africa, highlighting critical gaps in healthcare delivery. This review provides insights into the challenges faced and emphasises the need for resilient health systems to sustain TB care during future health crises. Contribution: This article highlights the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on TB care access in South Africa, identifying key barriers across healthcare access dimensions and offering recommendations to improve TB care delivery during public health emergencies.
在结核病高负担国家南非，结核病仍然是一个重大的公共卫生问题。2019年冠状病毒病（COVID-19）大流行加剧了获得基本结核病服务方面的挑战。本范围综述探讨了大流行期间结核病护理的可及性受到了怎样的影响。
本研究旨在采用范围综述方法，回顾关于COVID-19大流行期间南非结核病护理可及性的原始研究。
按照系统综述和范围综述的首选报告项目（PRISMA-ScR）指南进行范围综述。系统检索了五个数据库，以查找2020年至2022年发表的经同行评审的原始研究。使用Penchansky和Thomas的医疗服务可及性框架提取并综合数据。
三项研究符合纳入标准。该综述发现，大流行期间结核病服务的提供出现了重大中断，包括诊断能力下降、医疗机构关闭和经济障碍。患者报告诊断延迟和耻辱感增加，而医护人员面临资源短缺和操作挑战。
COVID-19大流行加剧了南非结核病护理先前存在的障碍，凸显了医疗服务提供方面的关键差距。本综述深入探讨了所面临的挑战，并强调需要有韧性的卫生系统在未来的健康危机中维持结核病护理。贡献：本文强调了COVID-19大流行对南非结核病护理可及性的影响，确定了医疗服务可及性各方面的关键障碍，并提出了在公共卫生紧急情况下改善结核病护理提供的建议。
