ArticlePLOS global public health2023
Barriers and facilitators to informal healthcare provider engagement in the national tuberculosis elimination program of India: An exploratory study from West Bengal.
Article in PLOS global public health, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Interventions on informal healthcare providers to improve the delivery of healthcare services in low-and middle-income countries: a systematic review.Frontiers in public health · 2024Pooled it
- Strengthening TB care pathways: Integrating informal and AYUSH practitioners for early diagnosis and referral.PLOS global public health · 2026Article
- The Economic Burden of Healthcare Utilization: Findings from a Health and Well-Being Survey in Informal Settlements of Freetown, Sierra Leone.Journal of urban health : bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine · 2025Article
- 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
- Inequities in Household Out-Of-Pocket Spending Among Urban Slum Dwellers in Southeast Nigeria.International journal of public health · 2025Article
- Unlocking the potential of informal healthcare providers in tuberculosis care: insights from India.BMJ global health · 2024Article
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
India has a high burden of Tuberculosis (TB), accounting for a significant portion of global cases. While efforts are being made to engage the formal private sector in the National TB Elimination Program (NTEP) of India, there remains a significant gap in addressing the engagement of Informal Healthcare Providers (IPs), who serve as the first point of contact for healthcare in many communities. Recognizing the increasing evidence of IPs' importance in TB care, it is crucial to enhance their engagement in the NTEP. Therefore, this study explored various factors influencing the engagement of IPs in the program. A qualitative study was conducted in West Bengal, India, involving 23 IPs and 11 Formal Providers (FPs) from different levels of the formal health system. Thematic analysis of the data was conducted following a six-step approach outlined by Braun and Clarke. Three overarching themes were identified in the analysis, encompassing barriers and facilitators to IPs' engagement in the NTEP. The first theme focused on IPs' position and capacity as care providers, highlighting their role as primary care providers and the trust and acceptance extended by the community. The second theme explored policy and system-level drivers and prohibitors, revealing barriers such as role ambiguity, competing tasks, and quality of care issues. Facilitators such as growing recognition of IPs' importance in the health system, an inclusive incentive system, and willingness to collaborate were also identified. The third theme focused on the relationship between the formal and informal systems, highlighting a need to strengthen the relationship between the two. This study sheds light on factors influencing the engagement of IPs in the NTEP of India. It emphasizes the need for role clarity, knowledge enhancement, and improved relationships between formal and informal systems. By addressing these factors, policymakers and stakeholders can strengthen the engagement of IPs in the NTEP.
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