Palliative care for multi-drug resistant tuberculosis
10th June 2025
First study of its kind demonstrates the efficacy of nurse-led palliative care for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in Uganda
A new study shows that nurse-led palliative care improves the lives of people with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. The research was carried out by a team from the Cicely Saunders Institute, Hospice Africa Uganda and the African Palliative Care Association. Their report has been published in Lancet Global Health.
Participants were randomly assigned to either the intervention group (extra nurse-led care) or the standard care group. Those in the intervention group received nurse-led assessments, care planning, symptom control, and psychosocial support, either in the hospital or at home. They had appointments every two weeks, alternating between in-person visits and phone calls.
The extra nurse-led care improved patients’ physical, psychological, social, and spiritual well-being, and increased their medication adherence. The report suggests that this type of care should be included in routine TB treatment. Palliative care is crucial for these patients because they experience severe symptoms, uncertainty, and high mortality rates.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that 8.2 million people were diagnosed with TB in 2023, and 400,000 had multidrug-resistant TB. TB was the leading cause of death from a single infectious agent in 2022, after COVID-19, causing 1.25 million deaths. The Lancet Commission on Pain and Palliative Care identified TB as a major cause of suffering at the end of life.
This study is the first to test palliative care for TB patients and adds important evidence to support palliative care as an essential health service.
Buyinza N, Nkhoma K, Namisango E, Maddocks M, Downing J, Prevost AT, Chukwusa E, Harding R. Nurse-led palliative care for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis: a parallel, single-blind, pragmatic, randomised controlled trial in Uganda. Lancet Glob Health. 2025 May 21:S2214-109X(25)00173-1. doi: 10.1016/S2214-109X(25)00173-1. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40412430.