Trial reportPloS one2021
Patient delay and associated factors among tuberculosis patients in Gamo zone public health facilities, Southern Ethiopia: An institution-based cross-sectional study.
Trial report in PloS one, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 21 citations in OpenAlex.
- Factors associated with tuberculosis patient delay: a meta-analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2026Pooled it
- Prevalence and risk factors of malnutrition in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in medicine · 2023Pooled it
- Delay in seeking health facility and associated factors among tuberculosis patients in South Gondar Zone, Ethiopia, mixed methods study.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Article
- Understanding treatment initiation pathways and associated costs among people with pulmonary tuberculosis in a peri-urban area of Mozambique: a cross-sectional study.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Article
- Exploring Barriers to Timely Diagnosis and Treatment of Tuberculosis in Selangor, Malaysia: A Qualitative Study.The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene · 2024Article
- Article
- Tuberculosis treatment delay and associated factors among pulmonary tuberculosis patients at public health facilities in Dale District and Yirgalem Town administration, Sidama Region, South Ethiopia.BMC infectious diseases · 2024Article
- Research Hotspots and Frontiers of Patient Delay: A Bibliometric Analysis from 2000 to 2023.Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare · 2024Article
- Gender Differences in Factors Associated with the Total Delay in Treatment of Pulmonary Tuberculosis Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study in Selangor, Malaysia.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices Toward Tuberculosis Among Hospital Outpatients in Kabul, Afghanistan.Frontiers in public health · 2022Article
- Knowledge of symptoms and delays in diagnosis of extrapulmonary tuberculosis patients in North Shewa zone, Ethiopia.PloS one · 2022Article
- Impact of early chest radiography on delay in pulmonary tuberculosis case notification in Ethiopia.International journal of mycobacteriologyArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundDelayed tuberculosis diagnosis and treatment increase morbidity, mortality, expenditure, and transmission in the community. Early diagnosis and initiation of treatment are essential for effective TB control. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to assess the magnitude and factors associated with patient delay among tuberculosis patients in Gamo Zone, Southern Ethiopia.
methodsA cross-sectional study was conducted in Gamo Zone, Southern Ethiopia from February to April 2019. Fifteen health facilities of the study area were selected randomly and 255 TB patients who were ≥18 years of age were included. Data were collected using a questionnaire through face-to-face interviews and analyzed using SPSS version 20.0. Patient delay was analyzed using the median as the cut-off value. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was fitted to identify factors associated with patient delay. A p-value of ≤ 0.05 with 95% CI was considered to declare a statistically significant association.
resultsThe median (inter-quartile range) of the patient delay was 30 (15-60) days. About 56.9% of patients had prolonged patients' delay. Patient whose first contact were informal provider (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 2.24; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.29, 3.86), presenting with weight loss (AOR: 2.53; 95%CI: 1.35, 4.74) and fatigue (AOR: 2.38; 95%CI: 1.36, 4.17) and body mass index (BMI) categories of underweight (AOR: 1.74; 95%CI: 1.01, 3.00) were independently associated with increased odds of patient delay. However, having good knowledge about TB (AOR: 0.44; 95% CI: 0.26, 0.76) significantly reduce patients' delay.
conclusionIn this study, a significant proportion of patients experienced more than the acceptable level for the patient delay. Knowledge about TB, the first action to illness, presenting symptoms, and BMI status were identified factors associated with patient delay. Hence, raising public awareness, regular training, and re-training of private and public healthcare providers, involving informal providers, and maintenance of a high index of suspicion for tuberculosis in the vulnerable population could reduce long delays in the management of TB.
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