Table 2.

Tasks and responsibilities within the new programme

Staff category	Tasks within the programme	Administrative responsibilities
Professional nurses	• Diagnosing smear-positive pulmonary TB • Initiating patients on treatment • Providing initial directly observed therapy at clinic • Monitoring patient adherence • Monthly weighing, taking sputum samples, assessing problems. • Sending patients to adherence counsellors for counselling. • Dealing with referrals to the clinic.	• Completing patient-held records (white cards) with calendar to indicate sputum dates, and other clinic appointments • Keeping track of which treatment supporter is responsible for which patient • Checking home assessment and counselling sheets; signing patient off for treatment self-administration
Adherence counsellors	• Informing patients of the programme • Counselling the patient and their buddy about TB, TB treatment, side effects of TB treatment, the importance of good adherence and promoting HIV counselling and testing • Reporting back to the team about patient's eligibility for the programme	• Filling in intervention register • Filling in counselling sheet • Filling in patient name, address and contact number for treatment supporters • Assigning treatment supporters to patients • Giving out home assessment forms
Treatment supporters	• Conducting home assessments, identifying TB contacts and individuals at risk of contracting TB in the home and referring children under 5 years of age to the clinic to be assessed for TB treatment or TB preventive therapy • Reporting back to clinic team meetings on home assessments • Visiting patients and conducting pill counts after patient placed out: three times in the first week and once a week thereafter until the patient completes treatment • Reporting back to team meetings on patients that experience problems with taking treatment	• Filling in home assessment forms • Filling in referral forms • Filling in forms when patients are not available or have problems with their treatment • Filling in monitoring forms, including when patient was visited and dates for sputum smear testing
Treatment buddy	• Attending 4 counselling sessions with patient • Supporting, motivating and reminding patients to maintain treatment adherence in the home	• Reporting problems that patients experience to treatment supporter or clinic