Cost and Outcome Analysis of an Active Case Finding for Pulmonary Tuberculosis, Ta Phraya Hospital, Sakaeo Province

Abstract

This cross-sectional descriptive study aimed to find the prevalence of tuberculosis patients and evaluate cost and outcome of the active case finding intervention for pulmonary tuberculosis. This study used the secondary data from HOSxP database of Ta Phraya hospital and the data were analyzed by using descriptive statistics in terms of percentage, average and standard deviation.

The results showed that a total of 1,705 people who participated in this study, 352 people had abnormal chest x-ray that found 14 new cases of pulmonary tuberculosis (9 cases had sputum AFB at least 1 positive, 3 cases had signs and symptom as pulmonary tuberculosis and 2 cases had GeneXpert positive for pulmonary tuberculosis). Most of participants, 92.86 percent, were Thai people and 78.57 percent were males aged 50.39 ± 17.58 years. Main signs and symptoms of the patients shown were chronic cough over 2 weeks and coughing with bloody sputum (71.43%), chronic fever (7.14%) and no symptom (71.43%). Rate of new patients with pulmonary tuberculosis was found in HIV-infected patients (7,692.31 per 100,000 people), exposed-tuberculosis person (1,748.25 per 100,000 people) and elderly over 60 years old (554.79 per 100,000 people). Cost of active case finding for pulmonary tuberculosis and the cost ratio were 220,437.16 baht and 15,745.51 baht, respectively.

A number of new cases of active case finding for pulmonary tuberculosis were likely to increase, that most of them did not find any signs and symptoms. Rate of new pulmonary tuberculosis cases was shown as the highest among HIV-infected patients. Cost of the active case finding for pulmonary tuberculosis was 220,437.16 baht and cost ratio was 15,745.51 baht in provider perspective. Therefore, the active case finding for pulmonary tuberculosis should be promoted as an important policy to find patients with pulmonary tuberculosis.