Effects of Counseling on the Quality of Life of Multidrug Resistant Tuberculosis Patients in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Abstract

Abstract: Background: Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) remains a major cause of death due to an infectious disease worldwide. Due to the stigma and severity of the disease, patients with MDR-TB have a very low quality of life. Different studies suggest that counseling may play an important role in the enhancement of the quality of life of such patients. Objective: This study was conducted with the aim of analyzing the effect of counseling on changes in the quality of life of MDR-TB patients. Methodology: A quasi-experimental design with a randomized pre-test and post-test control group is used in this kind of research. 120 patients were randomly chosen between   January   2020 to January   2022   made up the study's samples. The data were then analyzed using the Wilcoxon test, the Mann-Whitney test, and the two mean difference tests. Each participant receives counseling sessions seven times over the course of a six-month period. Counseling using the SOWAN approach is supported by observation, well-being, action, and nursing.    Results: A total of 120 enrolled MDR-TB patients were included in this study. For study purposes, these patients were divided into two groups i.e., intervention group and control group. Both group consists of 60 MDR-TB patients each.  The Intervention Group comprised patients who received a complete course of counseling as per the study protocol, whereas the Control Group did not receive such counseling and only received psychological assistance according to National guidelines. This study emphasizes the pivotal role of counseling in determining the final outcomes of the study cases. An important finding of the present study suggested a significant association with a P-value of 0.0271, a chi-square value of 4.8807, and 1 degree of freedom between counseling and the final treatment outcome of the selected study cases Conclusion: The result of this research shows it has shown that counseling MDR lung TB patients improves their quality of life to the point that ongoing counseling is necessary for MDR lung TB patients and can reduce the occurrence of MDR TB. Keywords: MDR-TB; Quality of Life; Effects of Counseling