Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Challenges for Nominal Group Technique Discussions during subnational certification to monitor progress towards TB free India by 2025

Abstract

The nominal group techniques (NGTs) were conducted during qualitative focus group discussion as part of verification of the subnational (state/union territory (UT)/district) claims of achievements in reducing tuberculosis (TB) incidence in 2021 compared with 2015 in India. A telephonic interview with a semi-structured questionnaire was conducted among district nodal officers (DNOs) to understand the various strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and challenges (SWOC) encountered during their conduction for external verification of the subnational claims submitted by districts of Karnataka in reduction of tuberculosis (TB) incidence in 2021 compared with 2015. In most of the districts, the NGTs were conducted for less than an hour (66.7%), and the majority of the DNOs (75%) opined that the purpose of the NGT was achieved. SWOC analysis identified active participation from the participants, prior preparation as strengths and time, place constraints, and a lack of consensus validation as the major challenges DNOs faced while conducting NGTs. There is a need for the involvement of multiple stakeholders from the private & public medical sectors to understand the bottlenecks in achieving the country’s commitment to making India tuberculosis-free by 2025 and thus ensuring access to quality healthcare and advanced treatment for all.