'I didn't know so many people cared about me': support for patients who interrupt drug-resistant TB treatment.

Setting: Early interventions for patients who interrupt their treatment for drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) are rarely reported and assessed. A novel, patient-centred intervention for patients at risk of loss to follow-up (LTFU) from DR-TB treatment was implemented in Khayelitsha, South Africa, in September 2013.

Objective: To explore the experiences and perceptions of patients, key support persons, health care workers (HCWs) and programme managers of a patient-centred model.

Patient support interventions to improve adherence to drug-resistant tuberculosis treatment: A counselling toolkit.

In response to the growing burden of drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) in South Africa (SA), Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), with local government health departments, piloted a decentralised model of DR-TB care in Khayelitsha, Western Cape Province, in 2007. The model takes a patient-centred approach to DR-TB treatment that is integrated into existing TB and HIV primary care programmes. One essential component of the model is individual and family counselling to support adherence to and completion of treatment.