ArticleInternational health2023
Are informal healthcare providers knowledgeable in tuberculosis care? A cross-sectional survey using vignettes in West Bengal, India.
Article in International health, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed.
- Institutionalizing linkages between informal healthcare providers and the formal health system in Nigeria: what are the facilitating and constraining contextual influences?Health policy and planning · 2025Article
- Exploring current and potential roles of informal healthcare providers in tuberculosis care in West Bengal, India: A qualitative content analysis.PLOS global public health · 2025Article
- Walking a tightrope: perspectives of non-degree allopathic providers (NDAPs) on providing diabetes and hypertension care in urban informal settlements of Mumbai Metropolitan Region.BMC health services research · 2024Article
- Leveraging the social networks of informal healthcare providers for universal health coverage: insights from the Indian Sundarbans.Health policy and planning · 2024Article
- Unlocking the potential of informal healthcare providers in tuberculosis care: insights from India.BMJ global health · 2024Article
- Engaging the Private Health Service Delivery Sector for TB Care in India-Miles to Go!Tropical medicine and infectious disease · 2023Review
- Barriers and facilitators to informal healthcare provider engagement in the national tuberculosis elimination program of India: An exploratory study from West Bengal.PLOS global public health · 2023Article
- Exploring factors influencing the compliance of patients and family carers with infection prevention and control recommendations across Bangladesh, Indonesia, and South Korea.Frontiers in public health · 2022Article
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9 authors.
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No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundIndia accounts for one-quarter of the world's TB cases. Despite efforts to engage the private sector in India's National TB Elimination Program, informal healthcare providers (IPs), who serve as the first contact for a significant TB patients, remain grossly underutilised. However, considering the substantial evidence establishing IPs' role in patients' care pathway, it is essential to expand the evidence base regarding their knowledge in TB care.
methodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study in the Birbhum district of West Bengal, India. The data were collected using the TB vignette among 331 IPs (165 trained and 166 untrained). The correct case management was defined following India's Technical and Operational Guidelines for TB Control.
resultsOverall, IPs demonstrated a suboptimal level of knowledge in TB care. IPs exhibited the lowest knowledge in asking essential history questions (all four: 5.4% and at least two: 21.7%) compared with ordering sputum test (76.1%), making a correct diagnosis (83.3%) and appropriate referrals (100%). Nonetheless, a statistically significant difference in knowledge (in most domains of TB care) was observed between trained and untrained IPs.
conclusionsThis study identifies gaps in IPs' knowledge in TB care. However, the observed significant difference between the trained and untrained groups indicates a positive impact of training in improving IPs' knowledge in TB care.
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