Family Physician Counseling, Family Support, and Medication Adherence Among Tuberculosis Patients

Abstract

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major global health threat, where treatment success is critically dependent on long-term medication adherence. Non-adherence contributes to treatment failure, drug resistance, and continued community transmission. This study aimed to analyze the impact of family physician counseling and family support on treatment adherence among TB patients in Medan Marelan, an area with a high TB burden in Indonesia. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 55 TB patients selected through total sampling. Data on the quality of family physician counseling, level of family support, and treatment adherence were collected using validated questionnaires. The relationship between variables was analyzed using the Chi-Square test. The majority of patients received good quality counseling (72.7%) and were adherent to their treatment (76.4%). A highly significant association was found between the quality of family physician counseling and treatment adherence (p=0.000). Patients who received "good" counseling had an adherence rate of 95.0%, which dropped to 0% for those receiving "poor" counseling. Family support also showed a significant association with adherence (p=0.037), with 75.0% of patients with "good" support being adherent. In conclusion, quality of family physician counseling is a powerful determinant of medication adherence among TB patients, with family support also playing a significant role. Integrating structured, high-quality counseling into standard TB care is essential for improving treatment outcomes and advancing public health goals for TB elimination.

Keywords:    tuberculosis, treatment adherence, family physician counseling