Verhage A R, Hesseling A C, Koppelman G H, Kerstjens H A M, Akkerman O W
Department of Paediatric Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Beatrix Children's Hospital, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Desmond Tutu TB Centre, Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa.
IJTLD Open. 2025 Sep 10;2(9):512-518. doi: 10.5588/ijtldopen.24.0571. eCollection 2025 Sep.
Globally, TB programmes should pay attention to the treatment support needs of children and adolescents (0-24 years) given the high disease burden and specific care requirements. We examine how health care workers in a low-incidence setting monitor and support TB treatment and TB preventive treatment (TPT) in this population.
A quantitative web-based cross-sectional survey was conducted from 1 December 2023 to 31 January 2024 among Dutch health care workers routinely caring for persons (0-24 years) in community- and hospital-based TB services.
Ninety-three health care workers participated. The most common strategies to monitor TB treatment and TPT were 1) verbal questioning on adherence (100% vs. 99%) and 2) evaluating clinical response to TB treatment (91%). Additional strategies were always used for TB treatment, with a pill organiser being the preferred method, while 50% seldom used extra strategies for TPT. Digital support technologies were rarely used for TB treatment and TPT by 78% and 90% of respondents, respectively.
Dutch health care workers relied on traditional methods to support TB treatment adherence with limited use of digital technologies and greater focus on disease than infection. Further research is needed to assess whether these strategies meet young people's needs in TB care and improve outcomes.
在全球范围内，鉴于儿童和青少年（0至24岁）的高疾病负担和特殊护理需求，结核病防治项目应关注他们的治疗支持需求。我们研究了在低发病率地区，医护人员如何监测和支持该人群的结核病治疗及结核病预防性治疗（TPT）。
于2023年12月1日至2024年1月31日对荷兰医护人员开展了一项基于网络的定量横断面调查，这些医护人员在社区和医院的结核病服务中定期护理0至24岁的人群。
93名医护人员参与了调查。监测结核病治疗和TPT最常见的策略是：1）询问服药依从性（分别为100%和99%）以及2）评估结核病治疗的临床反应（91%）。在结核病治疗中总是会采用其他策略，药盒是首选方法，而50%的人很少对TPT采用额外策略。78%和90%的受访者分别很少使用数字支持技术来进行结核病治疗和TPT。
荷兰医护人员依靠传统方法来支持结核病治疗的依从性，数字技术使用有限，且更关注疾病而非感染。需要进一步研究来评估这些策略是否满足年轻人在结核病护理方面的需求并改善治疗结果。
