| dc.description.abstract | The study investigated the factors associated with treatment default among tuberculosis patients at Mulago national referral. The study has the following objectives; To identify the determinants of treatment default among TB patients receiving care at Mulago Hospital. To assess the relationship between age and treatment default among TB patients at Mulago Hospital. To find out the relationship between sex and treatment default among TB patients at Mulago Hospital. To examine whether previous TB treatment history among TB patients is associated with treatment default at Mulago Hospital, To investigate the association between HIV/AIDS status and treatment default among patients at Mulago Hospital, To determine whether experiencing side effects from TB medication is linked to treatment default among TB patients at Mulago Hospital. A cross sectional study design was used in the study to establish the relationship between demographic factors, social economic factors and treatment default using Statistical Package called STATA 16. The study had a total sample of 713 observations were subjected for the study. It was revealed that, almost all 95.9% of the children screened for TB had not defaulted on TB treatment. More males 54.7% were involved in the TB screening. Majority of the children screened for TB had negative HIV status results (93.4%). The main TB case type was pulmonary TB accounting for 69.3%. Majority of the children were diagnosed of TB (91%), those who previously received TB treatment were 13.3%s, Majority 67.9% had unknown side effects resulting from TB treatment, majority of the children were aged 5-9 years (61.7%) and those aged more than 9 years (14%). Majority of the children tested for TB turned out negative (87.9%) Study findings revealed more males 54.7% were involved in the TB screening. Similar findings were reported in a rapid assessment of gender and tuberculosis in India in 2018 where men faced a higher risk of developing TB disease than women due to risk factors such as smoking and use of drugs (Johansson et al., 2000). Findings revealed child's HIV status had a significant effect on defaulting on TB treatment, similar findings patients with HIV/AIDS may have a higher risk of experiencing severe side effects from TB medication, which could influence their decision to default on treatment (Walker et al., 2013). Findings revealed that previous TB treatment history had a significant effect on defaulting on TB treatment. Similar findings were reported by Gebreweld that previous TB treatment history is a critical factor that can significantly affect treatment outcomes. Patients who have previously xi undergone TB treatment may have experienced side effects, endured the long treatment duration, and faced the challenges associated with treatment. This prior experience can influence their perception of the treatment process and may either encourage or discourage adherence to the current treatment regimen (Gebreweld et al., 2018) The study findings showed that Gender, experienced side effects on TB medication, Age and TB status did not have any significant effect on defaulting on TB treatment which in contrast similar findings in a discussion paper about gender and tuberculosis by United Nations Development Programme showed that gender significantly affect defaulting on TB(UNDP, 2015). The study concluded that HIV status had a significant effect on patients TB treatment default at Mulago national referral hospital. And also it concluded that patient’s previous TB treatment history had a significant effect on their TB treatment default at Mulago national referral hospital. The study recommends collaborative engagement with the local community to raise awareness about tuberculosis, reduce stigma and promote early diagnosis and treatment. The study recommends implementation of educational campaigns to inform about the importance of completing treatment and provide information about the disease and its treatment process. The study further recommends training of health care workers to offer empathetic and informative care, addressing patients’ concerns and providing guidance throughout the treatment. Ensuring that health facilities are accessible particularly in rural areas and providing transportation support if needed. The study further recommends implementation of robust monitoring systems to track patient’s progress and follow up on missed appointments | en_US |
