Health system delay in the treatment of tuberculosis patients in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Author(s):  
Kenaw Tegegne ◽  
Fasil Wagnew ◽  
Yihalem Abebe Belay ◽  
Dawit Eyayu ◽  
Daniel Bekele

Abstract Background: Delay in diagnosis and initiation of effective treatment associated with increase in morbidity, mortality and on-going person-to-person transmission in the community at large. In Ethiopia, several studies have been conducted regarding health system delay among tuberculosis patients. However, studies assessing the health system delay in treatment of tuberculosis patients in Ethiopia had inconsistent and inconclusive findings. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to determine the pooled median time of the health system delay in the treatment of tuberculosis and its determinants in Ethiopia. Methods: We systematically searched from different databases: Google Scholar, Science Direct, PubMed, Embase, Scopus and Springer link databases for studies published from June 6, 1997 up to December 20, 2020. The quality of the studies was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale adapted for observational studies. Heterogeneity was evaluated using I squared statistic. We conducted a meta-analysis for the pooled median time of health system delay and its determinants using random-effects model in R version 4.0.3 software(for median estimation) and Stata version 14 (for metan). The pooled estimates with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were presented using forest plots. Results: A total of 14 studies which comprising 6161 patients satisfying a priori set criteria were included. Our meta-analysis showed that, the estimated pooled median time of the health system delay was 15.29(95%CI: 9.94–20.64) days. In the subgroup analysis, studies conducted from 1997 to 2015 the pooled median health system delay was 21.63(95% CI: 14.38-28.88) days, whereas studies conducted after 2015 the pooled median time of 9.33(95% CI: 3.95-14.70) days. Living in rural area (pooled OR: 2.42, 95%CI: 1.16-5.02) was significantly associated with health system delay. Conclusions: In Ethiopia, patients are delayed more-than two weeks in the treatment of tuberculosis. Being from rural residence was more likely to lead prolonged health system delay. Implementing efforts by targeting rural residence may help to shorten the health system delay and important implications for the success of tuberculosis control.

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 42
Author(s):  
Kenaw Tegegne Tefera ◽  
Fasil Wagnew ◽  
Yihalem Abebe Belay ◽  
Dawit Eyayu ◽  
Daniel Bekele Ketema

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (12) ◽  
pp. e0261688
Author(s):  
Rafaela M. Ribeiro ◽  
Philip J. Havik ◽  
Isabel Craveiro

Background Understanding health delivery service from a patient´s perspective, including factors influencing healthcare seeking behaviour, is crucial when treating diseases, particularly infectious ones, like tuberculosis. This study aims to trace and contextualise the trajectories patients pursued towards diagnosis and treatment, while discussing key factors associated with treatment delays. Tuberculosis patients’ pathways may serve as indicator of the difficulties the more vulnerable sections of society experience in obtaining adequate care. Methods We conducted 27 semi-structured interviews with tuberculosis patients attending a treatment centre in a suburban area of Lisbon. We invited nationals and migrant patients in active treatment to participate by sharing their illness experiences since the onset of symptoms until the present. The Health Belief Model was used as a reference framework to consolidate the qualitative findings. Results By inductive analysis of all interviews, we categorised participants’ healthcare seeking behaviour into 4 main types, related to the time participants took to actively search for healthcare (patient delay) and time the health system spent to diagnose and initiate treatment (health system delay). Each type of healthcare seeking behaviour identified (inhibited, timely, prolonged, and absent) expressed a mindset influencing the way participants sought healthcare. The emergency room was the main entry point where diagnostic care cascade was initiated. Primary Health Care was underused by participants. Conclusions The findings support that healthcare seeking behaviour is not homogeneous and influences diagnostic delays. If diagnostic delays are to be reduced, the identification of behavioural patterns should be considered when designing measures to improve health services’ delivery. Healthcare professionals should be sensitised and perform continuous capacity development training to deal with patients´ needs. Inhibited and prolonged healthcare seeking behaviour contributes significantly to diagnostic delays. These behaviours should be detected and reverted. Timely responses, from patients and the healthcare system, should be promoted.


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chien-Chou Chen ◽  
Po-Huang Chiang ◽  
Yen-Hsu Chen ◽  
I-Chun Fan ◽  
Ta-Chien Chan

Abstract Background The decline of the incidence rate of tuberculosis in Taiwan has been partly attributed to the launch of the directly observed therapy short course (DOTS) program in 2006, followed by the DOTS-Plus in 2007. However, with the phasing out of the specialized tuberculosis care system and the declining incidence, clinical workers in Taiwan might become less familiar with the presentation of tuberculosis. Complementing the patient-pathway analysis with health system delay estimates, the objective of this study is twofold: to estimate the alignment between patient care initiation and the availability of prompt diagnostic and treatment services, and to identify the risk factors of delayed tuberculosis treatment. Methods The study population included all Taiwanese patients with incident tuberculosis in 2013. We (1) identified 11,507 incident tuberculosis patients from the 2013 National TB Registry, and (2) linked 10,932 Taiwanese from the registry to the 2012–2013 National Health Insurance Research Database. We assessed patient’s care-seeking pathways and associated the determinants of health system delay in a Cox model. Results The overall health system delay was 46 days. We found that 20.5 and 3.5% of 10,932 tuberculosis patients were diagnosed and treated respectively at the initial visit to seek care for TB-related symptoms. Risk factors related to the prolonged health system delay included female gender (adjusted HR = 0.921, 95% CI: 0.884, 0.960), age > =65 years (adjusted HR = 0.720, 95% CI: 0.692, 0.750), non-severe (chest X-ray without cavities) (adjusted HR =0.721, 95% CI 0.683–0.760), chronic respiratory diseases (adjusted HR = 0.544, 95% CI: 0.522, 0.566), living in long-term care facilities (adjusted HR = 0.580, 95% CI: 0.525,0.640), an initial visit at a primary care clinic (adjusted HR = 0.588, 95% CI: 0.565, 0.612), and living in southern Taiwan (adjusted HR = 0.887, 95% CI: 0.798, 0.987). Conclusions The low access to TB diagnostic and treatment services at the initial visit and the prolonged health system delay indicate inefficiency in the health care system. Strengthening training of physicians at public hospitals and health workers at nursing homes might improve the efficiency and timeliness of tuberculosis diagnosis and treatment in Taiwan.


2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (27) ◽  
pp. 413
Author(s):  
Ravahatra Kiady ◽  
Michel Tiaray Harison ◽  
Rakotondrabe Iantsotiana Davidson ◽  
Rasoafaranirina Marie Odette ◽  
Nandimbiniaina Anjara ◽  
...  

Delay in diagnosis is significant to tuberculosis prognosis. The aim of this study is to evaluate the diagnosis delay of tuberculosis and to identify determinants of “patient delay”, “health system delay”, and “total delay” in the diagnosis of tuberculosis. It is a prospective study of the patients who were hospitalized at the Unité de Soins de Formation et de Recherche (USFR) of Pneumology in Befelatanana, Antananarivo Madagascar, during the period of 1 st October 2014 to 30 April 2015 (7 months). We included all patients with diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis. Sixty six patients were also included. The mean time of patient delay, health system delay, and total delay were 26,30± 36,87, 69,56±64, and 96,35±72,65 days respectively. The different variables that affected diagnosis delay were: tobacco smoke (OR : 3,6723), asthenia (OR : 5,4815), anorexia (OR : 2,9524), and hemoptysis (OR : 0,2406) for the total delay. Knowledge about tuberculosis signs (OR : 0,164) and transmissions (OR : 0,243) was for the patient delay. Hemoptysis (OR : 8,1250), asthenia (OR : 0,1081), breathlessness (OR : 0,3556), infiltrative syndrome (OR : 0,2500), and alveolar syndrome (OR : 0,0687) in chest Xray was for the health system delay. Having an understanding of these factors of tuberculosis diagnosis delay will result to a decrease in the diagnosis delay.


2021 ◽  
Vol 104 (4) ◽  
pp. 1321-1325
Author(s):  
Ankit Chandra ◽  
Rakesh Kumar ◽  
Shashi Kant ◽  
Anand Krishnan

ABSTRACTA delay in diagnosis and initiation of treatment in patients with tuberculosis (TB) can affect the period of communicability and cost of treatment. We aimed to describe the diagnostic pathways and delays in initiation of treatment among drug-sensitive newly diagnosed TB patients in Ballabgarh, India. In May 2019, we interviewed 110 TB patients who were put on treatment in the past 2 months. It was a cross-sectional study where data collection was conducted by a physician. We used a structured questionnaire to collect the information on care-seeking practices, delays, and patient’s cost. Descriptive analysis was carried out for the pathways, delays, and patient cost. The mean number of health facility contacted before the diagnosis of TB was 2.8 (SD: 1.3); 76% of patients first sought care at a private health facility. The median total delay was 34.5 (IQR: 21–60) days; median patient delay seven (IQR: 2–21) days, median health system delay 16 (IQR: 8–45) days, median diagnostic delay 32.5 (IQR: 18–57) days, and median treatment delay two (IQR: 1–3) days. Health system delay was 2.2 times longer than patient delay; the health system delay was primarily due to delay in diagnosis. Patients contacting private health facility first had 1.7 times total delay, 2.4 times longer health system delay, and 3.4 times of direct cost compared with patients contacting a public health facility first. Accelerated efforts are needed to achieve India’s target to eliminate TB by 2025.


2005 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 343-349 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Díez ◽  
M.J. Bleda ◽  
J. Alcaide ◽  
C. Castells ◽  
J.I. Cardenal ◽  
...  

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