Engaging All Care Providers in TB Care and Control: Role of Professional Associations

Engaging All Care Providers in

TB Care and Control:

Role of Professional Associations

Organizations Responsible for ISTC

ISTC: Development Process

• Funded (Oct 1, 2004) by USAID via TBCTA

• Steering Committee: 28 members / 14 countries

• Cochairs: M. Raviglione (WHO) / P. Hopewell (ATS)

• Process coordinated by ATS

• Evidence-based with six systematic reviews

• Ten drafts prior to final

• “Final” document December 2005--but is a “living” document

• Patients’ Charter for TB Care developed in tandem

• Launch on World TB Day--March 24 2006

J.W. Lee, Director General, World Health Organization: March 24, 2006

The Global Strategy to Stop TB

ISTC: Test Sites

• India

• Indonesia

• Kenya

• Mexico

• Tanzania

ISTC: Languages

• English• French• Spanish• Russian• Chinese

• Indonesian• Vietnamese• Japanese• Khmer• Thai

How is ISTC being used?• Serving to unite public and private sectors in providing

a uniformly accepted level of care for all patients with, or suspected of having, TB by describing the essential elements of TB care that should be available everywhere;

• Providing a focus for mobilizing professional societies globally in support of TB programs;

• Serving as a powerful advocacy tool to ensure that the essential elements are available;

• Presenting a core for medical and nursing school curricula and for continuing medical education; and

• As a guide for policy makers and donors.

Editorial, Lancet Infectious Diseases; Nov, 2006

In this month's issue of The Lancet Infectious Diseases we publish the International Standards for Tuberculosis Care. When national tuberculosis control programmes and individual clinicians apply these standards correctly, multidrug-resistant tuberculosis and—the recently defined—extensively drug-resistant (XDR) tuberculosis should not develop---.

Role of Professional Societies

Professional societies can serve as valuable collaborators with TB programs:

• Serving as conduits to their private sector members to disseminate information (such as the ISTC);

• Giving credibility to TB programs;

• Providing technical assistance to TB programs;

• Conducting training activities;

• Exerting peer pressure; and

• Advocating for appropriate resources and policies.

Goal of the Meeting• To mobilize professional associations to

help foster effective collaboration between national TB programmes and private health care providers.

• How can this be accomplished?

– Develop a professional society network;– Provide funding (~$10,000 each) to selected

professional societies to develop a work plan for coordinated activities with their respective NTPs;

– Provide technical assistance for work plan development.

ISTC Tools and PCTC