Tuberculosis care models for children and adolescents: a scoping review

Objective To map which tuberculosis care models are best suited for children and adolescents. Methods We conducted a scoping review to assess the impact of decentralized, integrated and family-centred care on child and adolescent tuberculosis-related outcomes, describe approaches for these care models and identify key knowledge gaps. We searched seven literature databases on 5 February 2021 (updated 16 February 2022), searched the references of 18 published reviews and requested data from ongoing studies. We included studies from countries with a high tuberculosis burden that used a care model of interest and reported tuberculosis diagnostic, treatment or prevention outcomes for an age group <20 years old. Findings We identified 28 studies with a comparator group for the impact assessment and added 19 non-comparative studies to a qualitative analysis of care delivery approaches. Approaches included strengthening capacity in primary-level facilities, providing services in communities, screening for tuberculosis in other health services, co-locating tuberculosis and human immunodeficiency virus treatment, offering a choice of treatment location and providing social or economic support. Strengthening both decentralized diagnostic services and community linkages led to one-to-sevenfold increases in case detection across nine studies and improved prevention outcomes. We identified only five comparative studies on integrated or family-centred care, but 11 non-comparative studies reported successful treatment outcomes for at least 71% of children and adolescents. Conclusion Strengthening decentralized services in facilities and communities can improve tuberculosis outcomes for children and adolescents. Further research is needed to identify optimal integrated and family-centred care approaches.

Automated summary

After assessing the impact of decentralized, integrated, and family-centered care on tuberculosis-related outcomes in children and adolescents, it was found that strengthening decentralized diagnostic services and community linkages can improve tuberculosis outcomes in this population. Further research is needed to identify optimal integrated and family-centered care approaches.