Barriers and facilitators for isoniazid preventive therapy (IPT) administration in children under 5 years of age in the Dominican Republic

INTRODUCTION: Throughout the world tuberculosis (TB) is the second leading cause of death due to an infectious agent. The World Health Organization promotes Isoniazid Preventive Therapy (IPT) in children under 5 years who are contacts of persons diagnosed with smear-positive pulmonary TB (SPPTB). In 2019, 33% of children identified as contacts received IPT globally, while in the Americas 11 countries reached coverages ≥ 75%, only 35% did so in the Dominican Republic (DR). The aim of this study was to identify barriers and facilitators for IPT administration in children under 5 in the Area IV Directorate of Health of the DR’s National District. METHODS: Descriptive study, using mixed methods and sequential explanatory approach. We characterized children under 5 years who were contacts of a person with SPPTB. Later, semi-structured interviews and content analysis allowed identification of barriers and facilitators for IPT administration in children who were contacts of a person diagnosed with SPPTB, as perceived by relatives and health system personnel. RESULTS: A total of 238 children were identified as contacts of 174 persons with SPPTB: 36% of these received IPT while no data on IPT administration was found for 11% of them. The proportion of children who had a tuberculin skin test (TST) done was < 20%. However, those who had the test done had a greater opportunity to receive IPT (OR: 8.12, CI 95%: 1.60–41.35). Barriers identified include socioeconomic conditions of children and families, stigma, lack of information in clinical and follow-up records, lack of coordination between public and private providers and lack of coherence within national regulations. Facilitators include home based care of persons with TB and their contacts, transfer of treatment to a health centre near household, isoniazid availability, provision of information by health-workers and economic support for food and transportation. CONCLUSIONS: Incomplete data, lack of use of TST to rule out active TB, socioeconomic and cultural conditions, were barriers for IPT administration. Implementation of a person centred approach to care was found to be the main facilitator for IPT uptake. Administration of IPT depends predominantly on modifiable health system factors. This allows rapid identification of strategies to improve IPT administration.