Social Support for Pulmonary TB Patients

Social support for pulmonary TB patients is obtained from families and health workers. Prolonged treatment (6-8 months) can cause incomplete treatment. Social support from families and health workers is needed to achieve adherence to medication. The purpose of this study was to identify the social support among pulmonary TB patients in Surabaya. A descriptive study was done to identify the social support among pulmonary TB patients in Surabaya. The population in this study was pulmonary TB patients from January-April 2019 at the Tanah Kali Kedinding Public Health Center in Surabaya. The sample was made up of 55 pulmonary TB patients. Total sampling was performed in this study. The social support questionnaire was used to measure family support and that of healthcare workers for the patients. Descriptive analysis was used to explain the results of the study. The results showed that the total mean value of family support was 0.68 with a standard deviation of 0.454. The total mean value of support from healthcare workers was 0.86 and the standard deviation was 0.331. Social support from families and healthcare workers have not been fully developed properly. Therefore, it is necessary to improve social support from both families and healthcare workers in the process of treating pulmonary TB patients.