Factors associated with health system delay of treatment pulmonary tuberculosis patients at district hospitals in the south zone of Khon Kaen province

Abstract

This is a cross-sectional analytical study to determine the prevalence of treatment delays and the factors associated with these delays among new pulmonary tuberculosis patients.  Data were collected by interviews with a structured questionnaires and from the patients’ medical records.  The study was conducted in the tuberculosis clinics at six district hospitals in the south zone of Khonkaen province between 1 October, 2012, and 30 September, 2013.  For the data analyses, descriptive statistics were used to summarise patient characteristics.  A univariate analysis using the simple logistic regression.  A multiple logistic regression analysis was then performed to control for confounding factors.

The results show that, a total of 335 new pulmonary tuberculosis patients, subjects to health system delay >7 days was 23.6% (95%CI = 19.0-28.0).  In the multivariate analysis, the factors significantly associated with health system delays were age £28 years of the first doctors to see patients with symptoms of tuberculosis (OR_adj= 5.06, 95%CI = 1.12-2.78), seeing ³2 medical doctors before the diagnosis of tuberculosis (OR_adj= 6.90, 95%CI = 2.79-12.25), no cavities in the lungs by chest x-ray before diagnosis (OR_adj= 3.65, 95%CI = 1.86-7.14), and not screening by healthcare workers (OR_adj = 13.85, 95%CI = 2.69–11.34).

From the results of this study, development of a health system, health officials and screening tuberculosis with healthcare workers of reduce delay treatment and spread of tuberculosis in the community.