Social factors influencing treatment interruption in Tuberculosis Patients: A qualitative study

Positive smear pulmonary Tuberculosis (TB) patients sometimes interrupt their treatment. They may consequently result in the prevalence of antibiotic resistant strains (MDR-TB) in the community. This study was aimed to explore social factors influencing the treatment interruption in thesepatients. Purposeful sampling method with maximum variance was employed in this qualitative research. Data gathering process were included unstructured in-depth interviews with totally 37 persons (26 patients, 5 their family members and 6 concerning therapy supervisors), patients’ medical records, as well as recorded information in both Tuberculosis register program and Tuberculosis registration office kept in health care centers. Concurrently with data gathering, they were analyzed through ongoing comparisons. Also the participants in the study informed consent was obtained. Based on the findings of this study, social factors influencing treatment interruption in Tuberculosis patients were included six sub-categories: lack of social support, TB-related stigma, work issues, poverty, as well as imprisonment and drug abuse during the course of treatment. Results from this study demonstrated that family members and therapy supervisors need appropriate interventions in order to decrease social factors influencing treatment interruption in Tuberculosis patients.