Sheth, M;
Shringarpure, K;
Modi, B;
Damor, R;
Manikam, L;
(2023)
Health-seeking pathway of drug-resistant TB patients in Vadodara, India.
Public Health Action
, 13
(4)
pp. 155-161.
10.5588/pha.23.0019.
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Abstract
BACKGROUND: Health-seeking behaviour refers to patients' choices regarding their preferred healthcare destination and the timing of seeking assistance for treatment. Patients with TB usually first approach the private sector and/or lose several months' time in inappropriate diagnosis and treatment due to lack of awareness regarding the availability of standard treatment protocols. This can lead to poor outcomes such as drug-resistant TB (DR-TB) and/or death. METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional study was conducted to examine the health-seeking pathway and delays in diagnosis and initiation of DR-TB treatment among patients registered with the DR-TB centre in Vadodara District (India). RESULTS: A total of 93 patients were enrolled in the study; the median age was 35 years (IQR 24-45). For the first visit, 59 (63%) patients chose a public healthcare facility, mainly because the facility was near their residence (n = 20, 21.5%). The median delay in reaching the first healthcare facility was 12 days (IQR 7.5-30). Delay in reaching second- and third-level care was respectively 25 days (IQR 9-68) and 16 days (IQR 4-67). CONCLUSION: Two-thirds of patients required visits to a second healthcare centre for diagnosis, while one third needed a third visit. The overall median delay for reaching the DR-TB centre was 60 days (IQR 26-122). The median duration from symptom onset to the first healthcare contact fell within the timeframe for screening symptoms in standard diagnosis.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Health-seeking pathway of drug-resistant TB patients in Vadodara, India |
| Location: | France |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.5588/pha.23.0019 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.5588/pha.23.0019 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This article is Open Access under the terms of the Creative Commons CC BY licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute of Epidemiology and Health UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute of Epidemiology and Health > Epidemiology and Public Health |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10184887 |
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