Outcomes and Diagnostic Processes in Outpatients with Presumptive Tuberculosis in Zomba District, Malawi.

ABSTRACT:

Background

In Malawi, outpatients who have presumptive tuberculosis (TB), i.e. fever, night sweats, weight loss and/or any-duration cough (HIV-infected) or cough of at least 2 weeks (HIV-uninfected), are registered in chronic cough registers. They should receive a diagnostic work-up with first-step provider-initiated HIV testing and sputum testing which includes XpertMTB/RIF, following a national algorithm introduced in 2012.

Methods

An operational study, in which we prospectively studied 6-month outcomes of adult outpatients who were registered in chronic cough registers in Zomba Central Hospital and Matawale peri-urban Health Center, between February and September 2013. We recorded implementation of the diagnostic protocol and outcomes at 6 months from registration.

Res

SUBMITTER: van Lettow M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4640882 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature