SETTING: Tarai districts, eastern Nepal. OBJECTIVES: To identify potential methods of increasing adherence to @entity378 ( @entity378 ) treatment by determining factors that @entity1 felt influenced adherence. METHODS: New @entity1907 @entity1 registered from July to November 1998 with an outcome of non-adherence to treatment (NA) were identified from District @entity378 Registers, traced and interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. An equivalent number of adherent (A) @entity1 were interviewed. RESULTS: Of 81 NA @entity1 traced, 30 were interviewed, 16 had been incorrectly classified, age was incorrectly recorded in four, 13 had migrated and 18 were not found. The groups were similar in demographics, type and knowledge of @entity378 . More A @entity1 knew their diagnosis (P = 0.07) and reported haemoptysis as an initial symptom (P = 0.03). NA @entity1 had longer travel to a health facility (P < 0.001), and fewer had been informed by health care workers (HCW) about the consequences of not completing treatment. The most common reasons given for stopping treatment were side-effects, HCWs' mistakes or behaviour, and health service failure. Desire for cure and knowledge that @entity378 was curable were most the important reasons for completing treatment. CONCLUSION: Non-adherence seemed related to treatment delivery failures. The health system needs strengthening in Nepal. Intensified HCW training and supervision, better health education for @entity1 and families, more flexibility for treatment supervisors, adequate supplies for treatment centres and decentralisation of treatment delivery to the lowest health service level practicable are urgently needed.

Non-adherence to XXXX treatment in the eastern Tarai of Nepal.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['patients'] @entity378 :: ('MESH:D014376', 'Disease') :: ['TB', 'tuberculosis'] @entity1907 :: ('MESH:D014397', 'Disease') :: ['pulmonary TB']
@entity378 :: (MESH:D014376,Disease) :: ['tuberculosis']
