Addressing Latent Tuberculosis Infection Treatment Through a Collaborative Care Model With Community Pharmacies and a Health Department

Abstract

What is already known on this topic? It is estimated that 13 million people in the United States have latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI). This large number of potential LTBI cases poses a challenge for successful tuberculosis control and elimination. What is added by this report? We examined a novel, collaborative care model using community pharmacies as additional access points for LTBI treatment for patients using combination weekly therapy with isoniazid and rifapentine and directly observed therapy for 12 weeks. What are the implications for public health practice? High completion rates and safe administration of LTBI treatment can be achieved in the community pharmacy setting.

Experiencia piloto con esquema rifapentina-isoniazida semanal por 3 meses para tratamiento de la infección tuberculosa latente en el Programa Nacional de Tuberculosis de Chile

“…Por ejemplo, un estudio multicéntrico realizado el año 2017 mostró que un 87,2% de los pacientes (83,1% a 90,5%; IC 95%) completaron el tratamiento en el grupo en que se realizó en forma directamente supervisada 18 . Otro estudio realizado en Nuevo México y publicado en febrero de 2020, reportó una adherencia de 75% en un grupo de 40 pacientes a quienes se les realizó TITl directamente observado con el mismo régimen 19 . el estudio de Sterling et al 8 del año 2011 reportó una adherencia de 82,1%.…”

Pharmacy Contributions to Improved Population Health: Expanding the Public Health Roundtable

“…Collaboration between pharmacy and other health care professionals and agencies to implement strategies to improve health outcomes is well represented in this collection (5)(6)(7)(8). Articles by Rodis et al (5) and Ross et al (6) highlight the impact of pharmacists providing collaborative medication therapy management services to patients in federally qualified health centers.…”

“…Articles by Rodis et al (5) and Ross et al (6) highlight the impact of pharmacists providing collaborative medication therapy management services to patients in federally qualified health centers. In another description of a collaborative model for medication therapy management implemented by the Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Division of Public Health, and a nonprofit insurer, Thompson et al showed improvements in self-reported use of selfmanagement tools, reductions in medication adherence barriers, and high levels of satisfaction with the pharmacist in controlling hypertension (7). Collaboration between the New Mexico Department of Health and community pharmacies demonstrated the ability of community pharmacists to safely administer latent tuberculosis treatment, with a satisfactory completion rate of 75.0% (8).…”

Role of small private drug shops in malaria and tuberculosis programs in Myanmar: a cross-sectional study

“…While these drug shops could not provide promising outcomes in some countries [ 11 , 12 ], some worked well in referring presumptive TB cases, and therefore, sustainability should be considered for the longer term and collaborative actions were suggested [ 13 ]. Great opportunities of these providers from TB case finding to treatment completion were reported [ 14 – 17 ]. Existing studies have shown that barriers to drug shops’ performance being drug shops’ reluctance to refer long-standing clients to some DOTS clinics with poor and inadequate service, concern of infection to themselves, their family and other customers when counselling symptomatic patients, fear of client loss, and financial loss and absence of commitment from any PPM collaborating partners.…”