Screening Mechanism for Tuberculosis among Diabetic Individuals: Health Care Providers’ Perspective: A Qualitative Study

Introduction

Tuberculosis (TB) and diabetes mellitus (DM) frequently coexist, with diabetes increasing the risk of active TB two- to three-fold and adversely affecting TB treatment outcomes. Bidirectional screening between NTEP & NP-NCD has been introduced to enable early detection, but implementation at the primary health-care level remains inconsistent due to operational, infrastructural, and awareness-related barriers. Methodology: Qualitative data were obtained through in-depth interviews with health care workers at the study Primary Health Centres (PHCs), exploring the tuberculosis screening mechanism followed for diabetic individuals and the barriers encountered during screening. Fifteen health care workers were interviewed to understand the screening mechanism and the difficulties involved.