ABSTRACT
Background: A high level of adherence to treatment is essential for cure and prevention of tuberculosis
(TB) treatment resistance. Methods: A Systematic review of 53 studies addressing the
patient characteristics associated with TB medication non-adherence was
performed. The publications were identified by searching the PubMed, World Health Organization
(WHO), and Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) database, EmBase, Scopus database Arts, Humanities, Social Science
database and Google scholar. Only English
language publications were eligible. Potentially eligible studies were retrieved and the full articles were assessed. The potentially eligible studies were included if
they concerned patients treated for tuberculosis, reported non adherence
and reported on potential risk factors associated with non-adherence. Results: Factors that were most frequently consistently and
statistically significantly related to
non-adherence to tuberculosis treatment were: family income, patient movement and changing address or
giving wrong address, tuberculosis relapse or multidrug-resistant TB
(MDRTB), during intensive phase of treatment,
history of default, treatment regimen (long course), response to
treatment, homeless, stigma, seeking traditional healers, staff receptiveness, lack of directly observed therapy short course
(DOTS), poor knowledge or lack of health education, side effects of drugs,
feeling better, alcohol intake and lack of family and social support. Conclusions: Non-adherence to tuberculosis
treatment was influenced by several factors.