Development of Tuberculosis Care Model in Community, Phra Thong Kham District Nakhon Ratchasima Province

Abstract

This research aims to study the situation of tuberculosis patient care in the community, to examine the care models for tuberculosis patients in the community, and to investigate the outcomes of developing these care models in Phra Thong Kham District, Nakhon Ratchasima Province. This study is an action research project carried out from October 1, 2021, to March 31, 2024. It is conducted in three phases. The sample group includes 30 new and relapsed pulmonary tuberculosis patients registered in the NTIP database from October 1, 2021, to December 31, 2023, in Phra Thong Kham District, Nakhon Ratchasima Province. It also includes 30 individuals responsible for tuberculosis care, such as professional nurses, public health academics, or public health personnel, as well as multidisciplinary team members who care for tuberculosis patients and associated personnel from Phra Thong Kham Hospital Chalerm Phrakiat 80th Anniversary and its network, totaling 60 participants selected through purposive sampling. Data collection tools include: 1) structured interview forms to study the tuberculosis patient care situation in Phra Thong Kham District, Nakhon Ratchasima Province, analyzed through content analysis by examining similarities in spoken words, gestures, and attitudes of the interviewees during the interviews, organizing the data by interpretation and analyzing the relationships to draw conclusions; and 2) a tuberculosis patient questionnaire analyzed using descriptive statistics to present the data, with general information analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation. The study compares the knowledge and self-care behaviors before and after the development of the care model using a paired t-test. The research found that the developed tuberculosis care model includes training on tuberculosis knowledge and self-care behaviors, as well as home visits for monitoring. There was a statistically significant increase at the 0.01 level in the patients' knowledge and self-care behaviors before and after the implementation. The treatment success rate for tuberculosis patients in the community of Phra Thong Kham District, Nakhon Ratchasima Province, was 86.67%.