Global Journal of Medical Research, K: Interdisciplinary, Volume 22 Issue 4

Figure 2: Secondary package locally developed Figure 3: Training staff on the new developed package Using approach for tuberculosis treatment, the activists hired by TB Response play a similar role as DOTS in tuberculosis treatment and control. Basically, they are well-trained health care worker or other designated individual (excluding a family member) who provides the prescribed TB drugs and watches the patient swallow every dose, gives instruction on sample collection and follow the contacts of people with DR TB or DS TB, delivering the prescribed medication, checking for side effects, watching the patient swallow the medication, documenting the visit and answering questions. The strategy has been successful, it helps prevent TB from spreading to others, decreases the risk of drug-resistance resulting from erratic or incomplete treatment, decreases the chances of treatment failure and relapse. The big challenge noted during these activities was the boxes used by the activists to transport sputum from the community to health facility avoiding spillage. Because of improvised boxes got from the pharmacy, not all sample reached the lab properly for testing and some were rejected. To evaluate the efficiency of the new developed secondary package vs improvised boxes, specific forms were adopted to record in the lab when sample were delivering. In each district, not all activists received the new box to allow comparison result. It is, if a district selected had 4 or 5 activists, only 2 received the new boxes and others still using the improvised. It was a group control with new boxes and study group with the improvised boxes. 41 Year 2022 Global Journal of Medical Research Volume XXII Issue IV Version I ( D ) K © 2022 Global Journals Improvement on Packaging and Referencing Tuberculosis Samples- Experience in Zambezia, Mozambique