Parents' Experiences and Perspectives Towards Tuberculosis Treatment Success among Children in Klang and Petaling Districts of Selangor, Malaysia: A Qualitative Study
Creators: name: Awaluddin, S Maria
name: Nurhuda Ismail
name: Siti Munirah Yasin
name: Yuslina Zakaria
name: Norzila Mohamed Zainudin
name: Kusnin, Faridah
name: Mas Ahmad Sherzkawee Mohd Yusoff
name: Asmah Razali
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2020
Subjects: Qualitative Study
Klang
Petaling
Perspectives
Experiences
Tuberculosis

description: <strong>Introduction </strong>The trends of tuberculosis (TB) treatment success rate among children in Malaysia plateaued at 90% from 2014 to 2017. Malaysia sets a higher target to be achieved in line with an affordable, accessible and holistic approach in managing TB among children. This study aims to explore the parents’ experiences and perspectives towards achieving treatment success among children who were diagnosed with TB in two districts in Selangor, Malaysia. <strong>Materials and Methods</strong> The study was conducted using phenomenology design via an indepth interview (IDI) with the primary caregiver of children with TB disease. The participants were purposely sampled via MyTB v2.1 database in Klang and Petaling Districts of Selangor; aged above 18 years and having a child who has completed treatment or still taking medication. Data collection was conducted from January to February 2020. Sample size determination was according to saturation theory. Participants’ experiences were explored according to the Health Belief Model theory, as shown in Figure 1. Written consent was taken from the participant before the IDI session. R-based qualitative data analysis (RQDA) package was used to perform the thematic analysis. This study obtained the ethical approval from the Research Ethics Committee UiTM, and the Medical Research Ethics Committee, Ministry of Health of Malaysia. <strong>Results </strong>[Refer to Poster]. <strong>Discussion </strong>Trust in TB medication forced participants to face the daily challenges of administrating the medication. These parents gained knowledge of TB disease, which strengthened their faith in the healthcare services offered. Various previous studies supported on lack of TB knowledge among caregivers and patients that may result in a poor outcome. Besides that, seeking alternative medicine or over the counter medicine due to mild symptoms and any distrust in the public healthcare system may result in a delay of the appropriate treatment. Strong family support is needed to motivate the main caregivers, as observed in previous studies, including the history of TB disease among the family members. A mutual relationship between caregiver and HCWs had increased the treatment adherence of their patients. The flexibility of the services is also mentioned in the previous study and included in a convenience healthcare service. <strong>Conclusion </strong>TB treatment success among children with TB can be achieved when parents develop trust in their TB healthcare providers and have self-motivation to engage in the full treatment regime. These results will inform the TB program manager to strengthen the holistic approach and identified the motivational factors among parents of children with TB disease for treatment adherence.