Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40268977›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2025

Enhancing tuberculosis (TB) case detection among hospitalized patients through lay health worker led screening: a before-and-after study in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Abera Balcha Bulti, Asnake Yohannes Dumicho, Altynay Shigayeva, Gilles Van Cutsem, Sarah Jane Steele, M S Buthelezi, Mduduzi Mbatha, Petros Isaakidis, Chinmay Laxmeshwar, Jennifer Furin and 1 more

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Article in Scientific reports, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Abera Balcha BultiMedical Department, Médecins Sans Frontières, Eshowe, South Africa.
Asnake Yohannes DumichoICES uOttawa, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Altynay ShigayevaMonitoring and Evaluation Department, Médecins Sans Frontières, Eshowe, South Africa.
Gilles Van CutsemSouth African Medical Unit, Médecins Sans Frontières, Cape Town, South Africa.
Sarah Jane SteeleSouth African Medical Unit, Médecins Sans Frontières, Cape Town, South Africa.
M S ButheleziKZN Department of Health, Eshowe District Hospital, King Cetshwayo District, Eshowe, South Africa.
Mduduzi MbathaKZN Department of Health, Eshowe District Hospital, King Cetshwayo District, Eshowe, South Africa.
Petros IsaakidisSouth African Medical Unit, Médecins Sans Frontières, Cape Town, South Africa. Petros.Isaakidis@joburg.msf.org.
Chinmay LaxmeshwarMonitoring and Evaluation Department, Médecins Sans Frontières, Eshowe, South Africa.
Jennifer FurinDepartment of Global Health and Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA.
Liesbet OhlerMedical Department, Médecins Sans Frontières, Eshowe, South Africa.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Tuberculosis (TB) among hospitalized patients is underdiagnosed. This study assessed systematic TB-screening, followed by an enhanced TB-diagnostic package for hospitalized patients implemented by trained lay health workers in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. In this before-and-after study we included patients ≥ 18 years. The intervention consisted of systematic clinical screening for TB, HIV and diabetes mellitus by lay health workers and provision of an enhanced TB-diagnostic package including sputum Xpert MTB/Rif Ultra, urine lateral-flow lipoarabinomannan assay (LF-LAM), chest x-ray, and sputum culture. We compared TB case findings with people hospitalized one year preceding the intervention. In the pre-intervention phase, 5217 people were hospitalized. Among 4913 (94.2%) people not on TB treatment, 367 (7.5%) were diagnosed with TB. In the intervention phase, 4015 eligible people were hospitalized. Among 3734 (93.0%) people not on TB treatment, 560 (15.0%) were diagnosed with TB. The proportion of patients diagnosed with TB was higher in the intervention phase (15.0% vs. 7.5%, p < 0.001). Overall in-hospital mortality was lower in the intervention phase [166/3734(4.5%) vs. 336/4913(6.8%), p < 0.001]. Lay health worker-led implementation of systematic TB-screening, coupled with provision of an enhanced TB-diagnostic package significantly improved TB case detection and mortality among hospitalized adults.

Indexed as

Community Health WorkersMass ScreeningTuberculosisAdultAgedFemaleHIV InfectionsHospitalizationHumansMaleMiddle AgedSouth AfricaYoung AdultDiabetes mellitusDiagnostic packageHIVLay health workerLF-LAMTuberculosis case finding

Identifiers

PMID40268977
PMCPMC12019175

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.