Prevalence and Factors Associated with Patient Delays of Tuberculosis Treatment in Champasack Province, Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR.)

Abstract

This cross-sectional analytical study aimed to determine the prevalence and
factors associated with patient delays of TB treatment among the new pulmonary
tuberculosis (PTB) cases. Data was collected based on the questionnaire, case interviews
and reviewed of the medical records registered at seven hospital/ health service centers in
Champasack province between 1 June 2013 to 30 June 2014. For data analyses, descriptive
statistics consisting of percentages, means, standard deviations (S.D.), median and inter-quartiles
range (Q1 and Q3) were used to summarize patient’s characteristics. Multiple logistic
regressions was performed to identify the factors associated with patient delays of
treatment, adjusted odds ratio (ORadj) and 95% confidence interval (95%CI) were presented.
The results show that, of a total 256 new PTB cases, experienced patient delays
>30 days was 20.70% (95%CI: 15.7-25.7), median=20 days, Q1=15 and Q3=30. Using multiple
logistic regression, the factors significantly associated with the patient delays were patient’s
monthly income less than 600,000 kip (ORadj=2.47, 95%CI: 1.02-5.94; p-value=0.043), not
receiving advices for seeking TB treatment check up by health care workers (ORadj=2.98,
95% CI: 1.32-6.75; p-value=0.009).
From the results of this study, it is concluded that the factors associated with
patient delays were the individual behaviors and socio-economics. Therefore, providing of
TB awareness, active case finding and screening of TB in the communities and early TB
treatment would be reducing of the patient delays treatment and decrees the infectious
PTB cases for inhibit disease dissemination in the communities.