Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39934682›Full record

ArticleBMC infectious diseases2025

Completeness of tuberculosis case notification in Ghana: record linkage and capture-recapture analysis of three TB registries.

Mavis Pearl Kwabla, John Humphrey Amuasi, Gerard Krause, William Dormechele, Wisdom Takramah, Gideon Kye-Duodu, Eric Osei, Joyce Der, Frank Baiden, Yaw Adusi-Poku and 2 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC infectious diseases, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Mavis Pearl KwablaDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Fred N. Binka School of Public Health, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana. mkwabla@uhas.edu.gh.
John Humphrey AmuasiSchool of Public Health, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana and Bernhard Nocht Institute of Tropical Medicine (BNITM), Hamburg, Germany.
Gerard KrauseMedical School Hanover (MHH), Hanover, Germany.
William DormecheleNavrongo Health Research Centre, Navrongo, Ghana.
Wisdom TakramahDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Fred N. Binka School of Public Health, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana.
Gideon Kye-DuoduDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Fred N. Binka School of Public Health, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana.
Eric OseiDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Fred N. Binka School of Public Health, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana.
Joyce DerDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Fred N. Binka School of Public Health, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana.
Frank BaidenDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Fred N. Binka School of Public Health, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana.
Yaw Adusi-PokuNational TB Control Programme, Ghana Health Service, Accra, Ghana.
Fred Newton BinkaDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Fred N. Binka School of Public Health, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana.
Stefanie CastellDepartment for Epidemiology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundIn many low and middle-income countries, Tuberculosis (TB) surveillance systems miss out on reporting on detected cases suggesting gaps in the TB case detection and documentation systems. The World Health Organisation estimates that less than half of TB cases in Ghana are notified. Capture-recapture (CR) techniques that involve data linkages have been applied in various settings to estimate the total number of tuberculosis cases, including those unreported. This study evaluated the completeness of reporting of TB in a region of Ghana using CR techniques.

methodsWe evaluated the completeness of TB case notification data reported between 2016 and 2017 by performing record linkage in five out of 26 districts in the Eastern Region of Ghana. We linked data of all bacteriologically confirmed pulmonary TB (PTB) cases recorded in three registries, namely the district, laboratory, and treatment centre registers, to identify gaps in notification. Regression analysis was used to assess linkages of the three records based on name, age and sex. We estimated overall completeness with log-linear modelling.

resultsThere were 2,035 cases across the three registers, of which 773 (38%) were bacteriologically confirmed. The district, laboratory and treatment centre registers had recorded 369 (47.7%), 368 (47.6%) and 404 (52.3%) of the confirmed cases respectively. Only 82 (10.6%) cases were consistent across all three registers. There were 115 (14.9%), 238 (30.8%) and 134 (17.3%) cases that were exclusively in the district, laboratory and treatment centre registers. Log-linear capture-recapture model estimated 2,483 (95%CI: 1,797; 3,813) as expected number of confirmed cases. On that basis, overall completeness of reporting of the district TB registry was 14.9% (369/2,483; 95%CI: 13.5, 16.3).

conclusionWe found low levels of completeness of TB case reporting in the study area. A more wider assessment of the surveillance system in Ghana is needed to identify gaps in reporting.

Indexed as

RegistriesTuberculosisAdolescentAdultAgedChildChild, PreschoolDisease NotificationFemaleGhanaHumansInfantMaleMedical Record LinkageMiddle AgedYoung AdultCase notificationEastern regionLog-linear capture-recapture modelPulmonary TBRecord linkageSurveillance systemTuberculosis case detection

Identifiers

PMID39934682
PMCPMC11817754

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Registered trials

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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.