Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDRTB) increasingly occur in resource-constrained settings. In the context of a national response to MDR- and XDR-TB, health workers in TB clinics (in district hospitals and some accredited health centres) will need to diagnose MDR-TB, initiate second-line anti-TB drugs, and monitor MDR-TB treatment.

This field guide was created to help health workers carry out these tasks. It is a job aid that medical officers and TB nurses are meant to use frequently during the day for quick reference. It is based on the 2008 Emergency Update of Guidelines for programmatic management of drug-resistant tuberculosis, and may be considered a companion document to these guidelines. It also draws on the experience of the International health NGO Partners In Health (PH) in many countries. This module should be introduced to health workers in the context of a training course with a strong emphasis on TB-HIV co-management