IEC Strategies for Government & Private Medical Practitioners

Information, Education and Communication (IEC) is defined as a comprehensive approach that spans across mass media, digital campaigns, strategic partnerships and inter-personal ground level activities. The strategies that could be utilised in IEC for government and private medical practitioners with regard to TB elimination can be categorised under both mass strategies and inter-personal strategies which include: 

Standardised training of practitioners

• All practitioners, government and private must  receive up-to-date training as and when the programme launches newer updates to the TB treatment and guidelines.
• The trainings shall be conducted through the use of standardised materials utilising the Swasth e-Gurukul Platform. 
• The IEC material developed for the practitioners must not only include TB symptoms but also focus on free diagnostics, free treatment, financial support available under the National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP).
• Only NTEP approved  IEC materials in the form of print media (pamphlets, posters) or digital media (videos, audios)  shall be provided to the private practitioners in the area by the District TB Officers (DTOs), for display in the health care establishments as well as for patient communication.
• All practitioners must be trained on the identification of Latent TB infection and importance of initiating TB preventive treatment.

Capacity building

• Use of Nikshay Sampark (Toll free number: 1800- 11-6666) for feedback/concerns should be promoted from providers as well as patients. 
• The training should also be provided to all the practitioners in order to be able to use the Ni-kshay digital application for TB notification and reporting all other related aspects.
• System should be set up to enable all practitioners to receive the government’s demi official (DO) letters as and when circulated.
• All government practitioners should be educated on how to build capacities of Mahila Arogya Samiti (MAS) and Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) in TB control at the community level.
• Capacities of District Programme Supervisors , District programme Co-ordinators, Senior Treatment Supervisors should be built under the leadership of the DTO to be able to extend support to the government medical practitioners in day to day TB control activities.
• Professional medical associations must  be sensitized to conduct regular Continued Medical Education (CMEs) programmes in TB care and elimination for the private sector providers

Involvement of Patient Provider Support Agencies (PPSAs) and Non-Governmental Organisations  (NGO’s)

• A list of contact details of local public health staff/officers and PPSA (where present) should be made available to all private providers. 
• Wherever possible PPSAs must be utilised to help the private sector establishments provide patient centric support by facilitating implementation of a single window for diagnostic and treatment services, notification, patient linkage with social welfare, contact investigation, TB preventive treatment and treatment adherence support. 
• DTOs should ensure coordination with PPSA for DR-TB services.
• NGOs functioning in the area may also be involved to support the practitioners in conducting IEC campaigns in the communities.
• Advocacy and policy support groups may be formed with the practitioners and medical associations to strengthen the TB control activities in the private sector.

Resource:

Training Modules (5-9) For Programme Managers & Medical Officers, CTD, MoHFW, India,2020.

National Strategic Plan For Tuberculosis Elimination 2017–2025, MoHFW, India, 2017

Training Strategy for in- service Capacity Building of a Community Health Officers, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, India , 2019

Guidance Document on STEPS (System for TB Elimination in Private Sector) in Kerala.

Assessment