Level of Treatment Adherence To The Effectiveness of Treating Pulmonary Tuberculosis In Children

Abstract

Tuberculosis remains a major public health issue. This disease requires special attention because many people still neglect their medication routines. Tuberculosis treatment must be carried out regularly, considering its long duration, which sometimes results in many patients experiencing discontinuation of treatment. Low treatment adherence, especially in children, can lead to therapy failure and drug resistance. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the factors influencing this failure. The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship between the level of treatment adherence and the effectiveness of pulmonary tuberculosis treatment in children. The study population consisted of 322 children diagnosed with tuberculosis, selected through consecutive sampling, resulting in 30 respondents. The instruments used in this study were a questionnaire validated by experts to obtain information on risk factors, and medical records to obtain information related to pulmonary tuberculosis treatment in children. The collected data were analyzed using the Spearman rank test. The results of the study showed that the level of compliance with pulmonary TB treatment in children at Husada Prima Surabaya Regional Hospital was mostly in the non-compliant category, namely 20 children (66.7%), which indicates the still low discipline in undergoing treatment according to the schedule and medical instructions. Meanwhile, the effectiveness of pulmonary TB treatment in children was mostly in the ineffective category, namely 14 children (46.7%), which reflects the less than optimal treatment results in terms of clinical aspects and improvement in children's health status.