An illustrated booklet for reinforcing community healthworker knowledge of tuberculosis and facilitating patient counselling

Abstract

Community health workers (CHWs) have facilitated the move to decentralise tuberculosis (TB) management, but lack access to information appropriate both for personal use and in patient interaction and education.To explore the impact of a pictorial-based TB booklet on reinforcing CHW knowledge and facilitating patient counselling. This study was conducted in local primary health care clinics and the Hospice in Grahamstown, Eastern Cape Province in South Africa.Quantitative and qualitative methods were used. A simple, 17-page, A5 booklet containing pictograms and simple text was designed in collaboration with CHWs who advised on preferred content. Its influence on knowledge was assessed in 31 CHWs using a 17-item questionnaire in a before-and-after study. The experiences of CHWs using the booklet were qualitatively explored using focus group discussions (FGD) and semi-structured interviews.