What quality of care means to tuberculosis survivors

Abstract

Quality of care for patients of TB suffers in India as well as in other countries, because the commonly accepted definitions of high quality care, rarely goes beyond correct diagnosis, treatment and adherence. The problem with the existing definitions and metrics of quality careis that they leave out patients, and when high quality care is defined without patients’ perspectives, their needs and expectations are not addressed. Thispaper, based on a workshop held by TB survivors, attempts to examine the current state of quality of care extended to patients of TB, and to improve the scope of this care for the affected individuals, by the government, the healthcare system, and the society. The aim of the workshop and this paperis to arrive at a comprehensive, inclusive, and most importantly, a patient-centric definition of what quality of care looks like – to them.

Keywords

• Tuberculosis
• Patient-centric care
• Quality of care
• Accessibility
• Availability