WHO has identified 30 countries where tuberculosis (TB) burden is high, including Ethiopia. The incidence of TB in Ethiopia was estimated to be 151 per 100,000 population, and the mortality was 22 per 100,000 population in 2018. TB treatment coverage was 69 percent in 2018, indicating that 31 percent of TB cases were missed. In response, the Government of Ethiopia has committed to accelerating the fight to end the TB epidemic by 2035 by endorsing the post-2015 Global End TB Strategy and the targets set by the United Nations High-Level Meeting. The Federal Ministry of Health’s National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Program strategy aims to end the TB epidemic by reducing TB-related deaths by 95 percent and cutting incident TB cases by 90 percent between 2015 and 2035.
Studies show that good quality of care in TB services helps patients and their families address their health needs safely and effectively. Therefore, to enhance TB service use, there is a need to assess and improve the quality of TB services. A Quality of TB Services Assessment (QTSA) was conducted by MEASURE Evaluation in Ethiopia to assess the quality of TB services in randomly selected health facilities. Its purpose was to identify where services were of high quality and where there were gaps and to ensure that TB patients were receiving the care that they deserve. The QTSA assessed three domains of quality of care: the structure of the health facility, the service delivery process, and the outcomes of service delivery. The results were used to develop programs or interventions to improve TB service delivery.
The QTSA tools adapted for use in Ethiopia are available here:
https://www.measureevaluation.org/resources/publications/tl-20-87/
QTSA documents for other countries are available here: https://www.measureevaluation.org/our-work/tuberculosis/quality-of-tb-services-assessments
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