• A new research study published in the Lancet Regional Health Southeast Asia journal shows distinctive themes explanatory of the self-driven solutions and resilience exhibited by PwDR-TB and their caregivers.

• A qualitative study using a positive deviance framework was conducted among adult PwDR-TB (7 women, 13 men) who completed a shorter treatment regimen (including injections) with maximum treatment adherence.

•  It also included their caregivers and health providers in Bengaluru and Hyderabad between June 2020 and December 2022.

•  Interviews were conducted in the local language and asked about practices, behaviors, experiences, perceptions, and attributes that enabled maximum adherence and resilience of PwDR-TB.

• The themes found were as follows: 

1. Self-adaptation towards drugs through nutritional practices

2. Home remedies and self-plans for ameliorating injection pain 

3. Mind diversion practices 

4. Reinforcement of bodily recovery

• It was also found that caregivers aid them with intensive and participatory care, and healthcare providers support them with their conventional standard of care.

• Synthesized findings on self-driven solutions and resilience towards the multi-dimensional DR-TB challenges provide opportunities for developing and testing new interventions for their effectiveness in DR-TB care settings globally in the future.

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