Knowledge on TB-DOTS Management among Barangay Health Workers

Tuberculosis has been documented as a priority health issue in the Philippines. Over the last 15 years, the rate of new symptomatic clients has not reduced despite the efforts of the government through the Millennium Development Goals. As gathered from the field reports, Alubijid has an alarming number of notified cases of tuberculosis as of November 2016. Hence, this study was conducted. It aims to investigate the knowledge of Barangay Health Workers on TB-DOTS management as these health workers have proven to be effective partners in TB program development. 50 barangay health workers were selected using purposive sampling to participate in the study in Alubijid. A standardized questionnaire was used to conduct the research study. Then, the statistical techniques of frequency, percentage and Pearson’s Correlation were utilized to analyze the collected data and discussed based on relevant studies. Analyses of the results revealed that there is a significant relationship between educational attainment and the knowledge of Barangay Health Workers on TB-DOTS management. Apparently, majority of the respondents were knowledgeable about TB-DOTS management and used the national guidelines for TB management. However, the respondents were slightly knowledgeable in areas pertaining to the nature and mode of transmission of the disease. Keywords: Tuberculosis, tuberculosis-directly observed treatment short course, barangay health workers