Development of Screening and Diagnosis Model of Pulmonary Tuberculosis, Lampang Province

Abstract

Over the past 3 years, Lampang Province has had tuberculosis incidence rates and treatment coverage rates lower than the targets set by the Ministry of Public Health. Additionally, most cases rely on sputum examination using the acid-fast bacilli (AFB) staining method, which has limitations in terms of sensitivity, ranging from 30% to 70%. Therefore, it is necessary to develop more effective screening and diagnostic approaches. This research aimed to develop a screening and diagnosis model for pulmonary tuberculosis in Lampang Province and evaluate implementation outcomes. The study employed a research and development approach, utilizing the PAOR cycle, which was conducted in three phases. The sample consisted of 24 healthcare personnel from 12 community hospitals and data from at-risk patients who underwent screening processes before and after implementing the new model. Results showed that the developed model emphasized systematic use of the LAMP technique combined with AFB. AFB testing after implementing the new model had significantly fewer positive patients (p = .011), while healthcare personnel expressed high satisfaction with the new model (x̄ = 4.17). The developed pulmonary tuberculosis screening and diagnosis model can be practically implemented and has received high satisfaction from healthcare personnel; however, continuous monitoring should be conducted to evaluate long-term effectiveness.