A country-wide evaluation of infection control for tuberculosis in health-care facilities in Armenia

Authors

  • Joshua Chadwick Jayaraj Tuberculosis Prevention and Research Center NGO, Yerevan, Armenia
  • Karapet Davtyan Tuberculosis Prevention and Research Center NGO, Yerevan, Armenia
  • Hayk Davatyan National Tuberculosis Control Center, Yerevan, Armenia
  • Anush Khachatryan National Tuberculosis Control Center, Yerevan, Armenia
  • Armen Hayrepetyan National Tuberculosis Control Center, Yerevan, Armenia
  • Lilit Khachatryan Global Fund Projects Coordinating Team at the Ministry of Health, Yerevan, Armenia
  • Seda Abgaryan National Center for AIDS Prevention, Yerevan, Armenia
  • Anthony Reid Médecins sans Frontières, Brussels, Belgium
  • Chinmay Laxmeshwar Médecins sans Frontières, Zhytomyr, Ukraine
  • Veerle Hermans Operational Research Unit (LuxOR), Medical Department, Operational Centre Brussels, Médecins Sans Frontières, Luxembourg Luxembourg
  • Maite Guardiola Médecins sans Frontières, Operational Center Barcelona, Nairobi, Kenya
  • Timothy Grieve UNICEF, New York, United States
  • Rony Zachariah UNICEF/UNDP/World Bank/WHO Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR), World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3855/jidc.11021

Keywords:

Implementation, TB Health-care facilities, Barriers, Operational research, SORT IT

Abstract

Introduction: Infection control at health facilities is an important part of TB control programmes. To assess the implementation of tuberculosis infection control (TB IC) measures and barriers hindering their implementation in TB health care facilities (HCFs) in Armenia; to report the feasibility of using the WHO recommended checklist.

Methodology: A cross-sectional survey using WHO TB-IC checklist and direct observations was conducted between January and May 2018.

Results: The survey included all 62 TB institutions in Armenia. TB HCFs in Armenia had implemented some recommended TB IC measures: offering IC training to staff (48%), shortening time to diagnosing TB to less than one day (29%) and ensuring good ventilation (60%). N95 respirators were available in all HCFs. However, barriers that hindered implementation of TB IC measures were: lack of training, a different incentive model for primary care doctors versus TB doctors and lack of space and poor conditions of the building.

Conclusion: The use of the standardized WHO checklist in this first evaluation of TB IC measures in Armenia was found to be useful and feasible in identifying areas of weak IC implementation and barriers to achieving good infection control. Other TB programs may benefit from the use of this model of assessment, based on the WHO checklist.

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Published

2019-05-16

How to Cite

1.
Jayaraj JC, Davtyan K, Davatyan H, Khachatryan A, Hayrepetyan A, Khachatryan L, Abgaryan S, Reid A, Laxmeshwar C, Hermans V, Guardiola M, Grieve T, Zachariah R (2019) A country-wide evaluation of infection control for tuberculosis in health-care facilities in Armenia. J Infect Dev Ctries 13:035S-041S. doi: 10.3855/jidc.11021

Issue

Section

The Armenian SORT IT Course