Active Case Finding for Tuberculosis in Migrants: a Systematic Review

Abstract

Background: Active case finding (ACF) is an alternative strategy to accelerate the identification of TB cases among the migrant population.

Objective: This study aimed to synthesize the evidence for the effectiveness of ACF TB in migrants.

Methods: This study uses the PRISMA model as a method of searching for journal articles in the databases of Google Scholar, ProQuest, EBSCO, ScienceDirect, Elsevier, and PubMed, as well as other sources such as textbooks and reports from 2017 to 2021 with the keywords "tuberculosis" AND "active case finding" AND "migrant". The search revealed 371 articles, of which 26 met the criteria for further discussion.

Results: Most studies show that the TB incidence among migrants is higher than in the local population. Factors leading to increased cases include lack of knowledge about the symptoms, high mobilization, social isolation, economic problems, and medication adherence that impact an advanced stage. Furthermore, it is also influenced by the low quality of health services, including accessibility, health facilities, health workers, and information. Therefore, Active Case Finding (ACF) is more effective in identifying cases of TB in the risk groups. This was conducted on migrants with increased notifications followed up with treatment.

Conclusion: ACF is effective approach in screening and diagnosing TB in the migrant group.

Keywords: active case finding; migrant; tuberculosis.