Abstract:

Background: Tuberculosis usually strikes most vulnerable people of society. Treatment Adherence plays vital role for restricting the development of resistance against any disease. Patients always describe the needs of psychological supports to mitigate the difficulties of regular clinic visit, performing family and personal responsibility while on treatment. So, this study examines the role of family and social support contributing the treatment adherence.

Objective: The study aims to find out the status of adherence among MDR TB patients and also the role of family and social support contributing to treatment adherence of the disease.

Methods and material: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in 3 different DR-TB management centers (NTC, GENETUP and TB Nepal), which were purposively selected. A total of 100 patients were taken as sample population through sampling technique and data was collected using a semi structured questionnaire.

Results: Out of 100 respondents, 5% did not followed the instructions provided by health workers. The main reason was side effects of drug (2 out of 5) whereas feeling of cured was also one reason along with alcohol and smoking. 96% received family support during the treatment while more than 3/4^th of the respondents disclosed their status. About 24% had experienced unusual behavior from the community and 20% are only engaged in income generating activities. A significant association was seen between family support and treatment adherence.

Conclusion: Hence, this study concludes that family support is very crucial for the treatment adherence but there are other determinants which cause non adherence. High level of depression is seen among the patients to disclose their status due to stigma and discrimination.

Keywords: Treatment adherence, MDR TB, family support, social support.

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