Team-based, hybrid, or standard of care? Organizational models of tuberculosis care on tuberculosis outcomes in eleven Italian hospital

Objectives Tuberculosis (TB) continues to pose challenges in high-income countries, among migrant and socioeconomically vulnerable populations. Treatment discontinuity and loss to follow up (LTFU) remain critical barriers to TB control. This study evaluated the impact of three organizational models of TB care on clinical and programmatic outcomes in Italy. Methods We conducted a multicentre study including all TB patients diagnosed between 2021 and 2024 in 11 hospitals in five regions. Centres were categorized into three care models: (i) TB team (structured care with trained staff, dedicated outpatient clinics, and proactive follow-up); (ii) hybrid centre (HC); and (iii) standard-of-care (SOC). Primary outcomes included hospital length of stay, incidence and severity of adverse events, treatment completion, and LTFU. Mixed-effect regression models adjusted for confounders. Results Of 717 pansusceptible and monoresistant TB patients, 375 (52.3%) were treated in TB team centres, 175 (24.4%) in HC, and 167 (23.3%) in SOC centres. Treatment completion was higher in TB team (327/375, 87.2%) vs. HC (116/162, 71.6%) and SOC centres (89/158, 56.3%) (p Discussion The TB-dedicated care model was associated with improved outcomes, fewer severe adverse events, higher treatment completion rates, and lower LTFU. Although hybrid models conferred intermediate benefit, implementation of TB care ensured consistent gains. These findings support scaling up TB team-based models to strengthen TB control and align with elimination targets.