Assistant Professor, College of Social Work Badnera, Amravati, Maharashtra, India
Received: 12th Dec, 2025; Revised: 12th Feb 2026; Accepted: 13th Feb, 2026; Available Online: 10th March, 2026
Tuberculosis treatment in India is provided free of cost, yet maintaining adherence remains uneven, particularly in regions where patients' lives are marked by mobility and economic instability. In the Gujarat–Maharashtra border districts, this problem takes a more complex form, where continuity of care is shaped not only by clinical factors but by the conditions patients return to after leaving the hospital. The present study was undertaken to examine how biopsychosocial factors, along with social work interventions, influence treatment adherence among tuberculosis patients in this setting. Drawing on a cross-sectional empirical design, data were collected from 100 patients across four districts—Dang and Valsad (Gujarat) and Nandurbar and Dhule (Maharashtra)—using purposive sampling. Information was gathered through a structured questionnaire covering biological, psychological, and social domains, along with exposure to social work support. Treatment adherence was assessed through medication regularity and follow-up continuity, and relationships were examined using cross-tabulation and Chi-square analysis. The descriptive findings indicate that 61% of patients were adherent, while 39% experienced some level of non-adherence. Patterns observed across tables suggest that side effects, stigma, economic pressure, and mobility are not isolated influences but tend to cluster around those who struggle to maintain treatment. Patients reporting social constraints were more frequently represented in the non-adherent category, while those receiving social work support showed comparatively higher adherence. The empirical results further confirm these patterns. Biological (χ² = 4.87, p < 0.05), psychological (χ² = 5.96, p < 0.05), and social factors (χ² = 9.12, p < 0.01) were all significantly associated with treatment adherence, with social factors showing a stronger influence. Social work intervention demonstrated the highest level of significance (χ² = 12.45, p < 0.001), indicating its critical role in supporting treatment continuity. The study concludes that adherence cannot be adequately understood within a purely biomedical framework. Instead, it emerges from the interaction of physical burden, psychological experience, and social conditions, with social work acting as a stabilizing element within this process. These findings point toward the need for more integrated, context-sensitive approaches to tuberculosis care that extend beyond medication to address the realities in which patients live.
Keywords: Treatment Adherence, Tuberculosis Patients, Public Hospital, Empirical Study, Biopsychosocial Factors, Social Work Interventions
How to cite this article: Yeotikar RR. Treatment Adherence Among Tuberculosis Patients in a Public Hospital: An Empirical Study of Biopsychosocial Factors and Social Work Interventions (Maharashtra-Gujarat Border Region). Int J Drug Deliv Technol. 2026;16(3): 721. DOI: 10.25258/ijddt.16.3.79
Source of support: Nil.
Conflict of interest: None