Loss-to-follow-up and delay to treatment initiation in Pakistan's national tuberculosis control programme.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Researchers and policy-makers have identified loss to follow-up as a major programmatic problem. Therefore, the objective of this study is to quantify TB related pre-treatment loss to follow up and treatment delay in private sector health care facilities in Pakistan.

Methods

This was a retrospective, descriptive cohort study using routinely collected programmatic data from TB referral, diagnosis and treatment registers. Data from 48 private healthcare facilities were collected using an online questionnaire prepared in ODK Collect, for the period October 2015 to March 2016. Data were analysed using SPSS. We calculated the: (1) number and proportion of patients who were lost to follow-up during the diagnostic period, (2) number and proportion of patients with pre-tr

SUBMITTER: Ali SM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5845151 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature