Background: This study investigated factors associated with the successful implementation of
community-based tuberculosis (TB) care in the Omaheke region, Namibia. The TB control and
management programme appeared to be ineffective in this region. TB treatment outcomes revealed
a 51.4 percent defaulter rate, 3.0 percent case detection rate and 28.0 percent cure rate
(MoHSS 2004:83). The introduction of community-based TB care was envisaged to improve the
TB treatment outcomes. A non-intervention design was used to identify factors that the community
members felt could facilitate the implementation of this strategy.
Results: More service-related than community-related factors that influenced the successful implementation
of community-based TB care in the Omaheke region of Namibia were identified.
Conclusion: The study concluded that the point of departure for the implementation of community-based
TB care was the acknowledgement by the community and nurses that TB was a problem
and that community-based TB care was the appropriate strategy to address this problem.