THE RESULTS OF ADDED HISTORY TAKING AT THE REGISTRATION POINT BEFORE WAITING TO SCREEN IN FRONT OF THE EXAMINATION ROOM IN THE PATIENTS WITH RESPIRATORY SYMPTOMS TO BE DIAGNOSED WITH PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS, MEDICAL OUTPATIENT DEPARTMENT, CHIANGRAAI PRACHA

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Tuberculosis is a major contagious disease being a public health problem around the world. The situations of tuberculosis in Chiangrai Province found that the rate of new pulmonary tuberculosis patients were increased. From the illness reports of personnel in Chiangrai Prachanukroh hospital found that they get sick with tuberculosis increasing every year. There is a screening system to discover active tuberculosis patients quickly will reduce the chance to spread to personnel and other patients.
OBJECTIVE
To compare the percentage of patients who received screening and diagnosed as pulmonary tuberculosis between an old and new screening which adds history taking at the registration point before waiting to screen in front of the examination room in the patients with respiratory symptoms such as cough more than 2 weeks with fever, hemopthysis, unknown caused of weight loss.
METHODS
This study was efficacy research with historical control study to compare the percentage of patients who received screening and diagnosed as pulmonary tuberculosis between an old and new screening which adds history taking at the registration point before screening in front of the examination room in the patients. This research was studied in patients with respiratory symptoms who new registered by walk in medicine outpatient department, Chiangrai Prachanukroh hospital between 1 August 2019 to 29 February 2020. We used tuberculosis screening of outpatient department Chiangrai Prachanukroh hospital which developed from the screening forms of the Bureau of Tuberculosis, Department of Disease Control, Ministry of Public Health by medical specialists in chest disease. The data were analyzed by t-test and exact probability test.
RESULTS
The results of screening and diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis found that the new screening which added history taking at the registration point found the patients suspected pulmonary tuberculosis increased statistically significantly (33.7% vs 74.0%, p = <0.001). The diagnosis found that the patients whose diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis increased at the registration point (12.3% vs 14.7%, p=<0.155) and the patients who waiting to screen in front of the examination room has been diagnosed as pulmonary tuberculosis decrease (31.9% vs 13.6%, p=<0.320) but not statistically significantly.
CONCLUSTIONS AND DISCUSSIONS
The new screening which add history taking at the registration point help the patients to be screen and diagnose pulmonary tuberculosis before waiting in front of the examination room, thus we suggest to add history taking at the registration point in every patients with respiratory symptoms such as cough more than 2 weeks with fever, hemoptysis, unknown caused of weight loss to decrease the chance of spreading tuberculosis to personnels and other patients in front of the examination room.