Dr Boitumelo Seepamore from the Discipline of Social Work in the School of Applied Human Sciences won the award for best overall oral presentation at the 8th South African Tuberculosis conference held in Durban which attracted more than 1 700 participants from various institutions and research projects.
Seepamore’s presentation was titled: An Adherence Psychosocial Support Group Intervention for People with Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis (MDRTB) and HIV in a Randomised Control Trial in Durban.
She presented information from a study she is co-investigator in at the Springfield Centre for the Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA) site (King Dinuzulu Hospital). The Principal Investigators in the research are Professor Kogie Naidoo of CAPRISA and Dr Max O’Donnell of the Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health in New York.
Seepamore, who teaches a level two group work module in Social Work, was invited into the study to support the psychosocial component.
‘Our study is a randomised control trial titled: Adaptive Evaluation of mHealth and Conventional Adherence Support Interventions to Optimise Outcomes with New Treatment Regimens for Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis and HIV in South Africa (ADATIV),’ she said.
According to Seepamore, the study uses an adaptive implementation platform to randomise DR-TB HIV patients initiating Bedaquiline and dolutegravir-containing a combination Antiretroviral therapy (ART) regimens. ‘Participants are randomised into the Enhanced Standard of Care (control arm) and trained by healthcare workers on TB drugs, side effects, and management.
‘In another arm of the research, participants are offered individual counselling, and adherence support group support for the first six months of treatment. The third arm includes the use of an mhealth device known as the Wisepill which helps to track participants’ intakes of ART or Bedaquiline, while the fourth arm incorporates all support measures,’ she added.
Seepamore says her role as the psychosocial support co-lead is to help the social worker and research assistants to facilitate support groups and counselling. ‘We hold weekly meetings to plan and troubleshoot difficult issues faced by participants in their social environments.’
Additionally, the study has enabled many people to access services they would not usually reach, including transit accommodation, ID applications, referrals for social grant applications and substance use. ‘Many of the participants also need to mend relationships with family members and disclose either their Drug-resistant Tuberculosis (DRTB) or HIV status.’
Seepamore dedicated the award to her team at the King Dinuzulu Hospital, CAPRISA, the Discipline of Social Work and the School of Applied Human Sciences.
