Factors influencing the initiation and adherence of LTBI treatment in healthcare workers: a systematic review

Abstract

Despite the importance of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) treatment and management in healthcare workers (HCWs), only a few studies have provided a comprehensive review of factors associated with the success rate of each stage of the LTBI treatment, as well as strategies to improve treatment adherence. This study investigated factors and determinants of patient losses at each stage of the entire cascade of LTBI in HCWs. Studies were extracted from PubMed, EBSCOhost, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and ScienceDirect. Our study found poor completion rates of LTBI treatment in HCWs. The main reason for not visiting the outpatient clinic or not accepting treatment was related to the demographic characteristics, whereas adverse drug effects were the main reason for treatment discontinuation. These findings suggest that tailored interventions must be developed to improve the success rate at each stage of the LTBI treatment in HCWs.

Keywords:

• Adherence
• compliance
• healthcare workers
• latent tuberculosis infection

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Dr. Jinkyung Park, a systematic review methodology expert, for her involvement in the methodological rigor on this project.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This study was financially supported by Chonnam National University (Grant number: 2020-1938).