ArticlePloS one2021
Linkage to TB care: A qualitative study to understand linkage from the patients' perspective in the Western Cape Province, South Africa.
Article in PloS one, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 17 citations in OpenAlex.
- Closing gaps through innovation in the tuberculosis pathology value chain.Journal of clinical tuberculosis and other mycobacterial diseases · 2026Review
- Article
- Beyond diagnostic connectivity: Leveraging digital health technology for the real-time collection and provision of high-quality actionable data on infectious diseases in Uganda.PLOS digital health · 2024Article
- Observational
- Reducing Initial Loss to Follow-up Among People With Bacteriologically Confirmed Tuberculosis: LINKEDin, a Quasi-experimental Study in South Africa.Open forum infectious diseases · 2024Article
- South African adolescents' lived experiences of acquired hearing loss following multidrug-resistant tuberculosis treatment.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciences · 2024Article
- "We usually see a lot of delay in terms of coming for or seeking care": an expert consultation on COVID testing and care pathways in seven low- and middle-income countries.BMC health services research · 2023Article
- "We usually see a lot of delay in terms of coming for or seeking care": an expert consultation on COVID testing and care pathways in low- and middle-income countries.Research square · 2023Article
- Investigating linkage to care between hospitals and primary care clinics for people with TB in rural South Africa.PloS one · 2023Article
- A qualitative exploration of continuity of TB care in clinics after discharge from hospitals in Cape Town, South Africa.BMC health services research · 2022Article
- Linkage to care and treatment outcomes for patients diagnosed with drug-susceptible tuberculosis using Xpert MTB/RIF assay in Thaba-Tseka district in Lesotho.IJID regions · 2022Article
- Early interactions with newly diagnosed TB patients in hospital can support linkage to care.Public health action · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundDelayed linkage to tuberculosis (TB) treatment leads to poor patient outcomes and increased onward transmission. Between 12% and 25% of people diagnosed with TB are never linked to a primary health care facility for continued care. The TB health program is for creating processes that promote and facilitates easy access to care. We explored how TB patients experience TB services and how this influenced their choices around linkage to TB care and treatment.
methodsWe enrolled 20 participants routinely diagnosed with TB in hospital or at primary health care facilities (PHC) in a high TB/HIV burdened peri-urban community in South Africa. Using the Western Cape Provincial Health Data centre (PHDC) which consolidates person-level clinical data, we used dates of diagnosis and treatment initiation to select participants who had been linked (immediately, after a delay, or never). Between June 2019 and January 2020, we facilitated in-depth discussions to explore both the participants' experience of their TB diagnosis and their journey around linking to TB care at a primary health care facility. We analysed the data using case descriptions.
resultsTwelve of twenty (12/20) participants interviewed who experienced a delay linking were diagnosed at the hospital. Participants who experienced delays in linking or never linked explained this as a result of lack of information and support from health care providers. Unpleasant previous TB treatment episodes made it difficult to 'face' TB again and being uncertain of their TB diagnosis. In contrast, participants said the main motivator for linking was a personal will to get better.
conclusionThe health care system, especially in hospitals, should focus on strengthening patient-centred care. Communication and clear messaging on TB processes is key, to prepare patients in transitioning from a hospital setting to PHC facilities for continuation of care. This should not just include a thorough explanation of their TB diagnosis but ensure that patients understand treatment processes. Former TB patients may require additional counselling and support to re-engage in care.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.