Melissa Thumm, Rational Pharmaceutical Management (RPM) Plus Program/Center for Pharmaceutical Management (CPM), Management Sciences for Health (MSH), 4301 N Fairfax Drive, Suite 400, Arlington, VA 22203-1627 and Alix Beith, RPM Plus /CPM, MSH, 4301 North Fairfax Drive, Suite 400, Arlington, VA 22203, 703-524-6575, abeith@msh.org.

Since 2001, MSH’s Rational Pharmaceutical Management (RPM) Plus program, in collaboration with the World Bank and Stop TB/WHO, has been studying incentives and enablers (I&E) in a variety of contexts to expand the evidence base of whether, how, and how much I&E can improve TB control outcomes (case detection, adherence to treatment, treatment completion, etc.). The context for this work is the growing global interest in the potential of incentives and enablers in improving TB (and other) program performance, matched by the wide-spread application of a variety of incentive and enablers schemes by national TB programs, and partners and projects supporting TB control within countries.

Desktop and field activities have revealed that personnel from programs and projects providing TB treatment and using an I&E scheme perceive that these types of schemes do have a positive impact upon TB control. However, little or no evidence exists to support this perception, making it impossible to formulate evidence-based recommendations on the relative contribution of I&E to improved TB program performance.

In collaboration with PAHO, RPM Plus has established an inventory of incentive schemes that are being used in the Latin American and Caribbean region, along with any evaluation efforts to date. National TB Program Managers were surveyed and brought together to discuss efforts in this area, with a focus on stimulating evaluation of the impact of incentives in the region.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, participants will

• be more familiar with how I&E are being used to try and improve TB program performance in Latin America and the Caribbean and
• understand the importance of evaluation as a tool to determine the impact and cost-effectiveness of incentives vis a vis other interventions to improve TB control.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.