Referring TB suspects from private pharmacies to the National Tuberculosis Programme: experiences from two districts in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

SETTING: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

OBJECTIVE: To describe pharmacists' attitudes towards referring TB suspects to the National Tuberculosis Programme (NTP) and to evaluate the feasibility of a new referral system.

METHODS: 1) Questionnaire survey of 150 private pharmacies; 2) qualitative interviews with 16 pharmacists; 3) monitoring the use of new referral forms for 21 months.

RESULTS: Use of a simple referral form was thought to be manageable by 72% of the pharmacists. Pharmacists identified a number of different types of risks associated with referral of TB suspects to the NTP; clients could turn to another pharmacy (61% of respondents); criticise the pharmacist if it appears that they do not have TB (42%); or remain untreated because they are not able to visit the NTP (41%). Fifty-eight (39%) of eligible pharmacies referred at least one client. At least 373 suspects were referred, 149 were tested and 10 had TB.

CONCLUSIONS: It is feasible to let pharmacies refer TB suspects. For there to be a significant impact on case detection, it is important to acknowledge a number of concerns expressed by pharmacists and attempt to change both clients' and providers' expectations with regard to the pharmacists' role.