Table 4

Types of social support interventions to improve treatment outcome for DR-TB

StudyMaterial supportEmotional supportInformational supportCompanionship support
Li et al11Monetary incentives

  1. US$15.5 cash bonus for transportation and nutritional supplements

  2. Out-of-pocket payment reduction to 10% of the charge for the treatment services by government insurance funding and project subsidies

  1. Community care workers (CCWs) identified a treatment supporter for the patients

Yin et al19Commodities

  1. US$10 transport reimbursement per month

  2. US$10 nutrition support per month

 

  1. Reminding medications renewal

  2. Methods to cope with adverse events

  3. The importance of adherence

 
Oyieng'o et al 39Monetary incentives

  1. Transport incentives

    Commodities

  2. Food supply

Home visit

  1. Nurses gave medication and injection administration at patients' home or the nearest healthcare facility at patients’ will

  1. A household member supervised the evening oral dose

Taneja et al 40Commodities

  1. Eggs and nutritious multigrain provision

Home visit

  1. Providers: trained homecare teams visit patients' home every fortnight in intensive phase and every 45 days during continuation phase

  2. Content: physical assessment by body weight, side-effects of medicine and complications; motivating patients to take sputum microscopy


Psychological support

  1. Addressing emotional needs

  2. Providing mental and vocational rehabilitation-getting readmission to schools or encouraging them to work

  1. Disease information

  2. Importance of treatment adherence

  3. Health education about coughing etiquettes

Baral et al 41Monetary incentives

  1. US$28 per month to cover local transport, food and rental costs

  1. Small group counselling led by trained public health nurses every 2–3 weeks

Brust et al42Monetary incentives

  1. Travel reimbursement for patients and family members

Home visit

  1. Weekly side effects monitor by nurses or community health workers (CHWs)

  2. Intensive phase: daily home visit by a nurse and a driver (injection team)

  3. Continuation phase: daily visits by CHWs for DOTs

  1. Weekly education sessions about MDR-TB and HIV for patients and treatment supporters in clinic

  1. Family members or friends to be treatment supporters

Acha et al 43Monetary incentives

  1. Transportation subsidy

Psychological support

  1. Support group sessions convened bimonthly with 8–12 patients, one or two cured patients and health workers (psychiatrists, nurses, social workers and health workers)

  1. Family workshops to increase the awareness about the disease and treatment

  1. Daytime recreational excursions several times a year

  2. Symbolic celebrations for patients' birthdays, treatment completion, international TB day and other festivals

Mohr et al44Home visit

  1. Social situation assessment by CCWs

  2. Adherence barriers identification by CCWs

  1. A MeÂdecins Sans Frontières counsellor reviewed the medication, issued a pillbox and addressed the adherence barriers in clinic

Sripad et al 45Monetary incentives

  1. US$240 bonus each month after taking medications at least 26 days per month for up to 24 months

Bhatt et al 46Monetary incentives

  1. Cash handouts

  2. Reimbursement of conveyance


Commodities

  1. Nutritional supplements: milk, eggs, grains, pulses, jaggery, biscuits and cooking oil

  1. Motivation

  1. Patient-provider group meetings

  • DOTs, Directly Observed Therapy; DR-TB, drug-resistant tuberculosis; MDR-TB, multidrug resistance tuberculosis.