ReviewJournal of public health (Oxford, England)2025
A rapid review of the causes of diagnostic and treatment delays for tuberculosis in low-burden countries.
Review in Journal of public health (Oxford, England), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Can Diagnostic Delay Amplify Drug Resistance in Tuberculosis? A Critical Integrative Reflection on Bacterial Adaptation, Persistence, Within-Host Evolution, and Heteroresistance.Diseases (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Concurrent Rasmussen aneurysm and pulmonary embolism in a patient with cavitary pulmonary tuberculosis.CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne · 2026Article
- Rural Residence and One-Person Households Are Associated with Diagnostic Delay in Pulmonary Tuberculosis in a Low-Incidence European Setting.Tropical medicine and infectious disease · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundDelays in diagnosing and treating tuberculosis (TB) have significant implications. We undertook a rapid review to explore factors associated with delays at all stages of the diagnostic and treatment pathways in low-burden settings.
methodsWe searched databases (Embase, Medline, CENTRAL, Cinahl, PubMed, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Web of Science) for qualitative and quantitative evidence (2010-25) from countries with low TB burden (incidence rate <40/100 000 in 2020). Included studies were assessed on their robustness and relevance. Due to the rapid review design, we did not conduct formal quality appraisal.
resultsThe review included 3 reviews, 5 qualitative studies, 18 cohort studies, and 13 cross sectional studies (n = 41) with varying robustness and relevance. By synthesizing data using a patient pathway, we uncovered patient- and healthcare-related factors that contribute to delays such as medical history, health behaviours, level of patient and physician suspicion of TB, service location (primary care), and timing of TB testing. Having extrapulmonary TB was associated with greater total delay.
conclusionsWe have identified patient and health service factors that are consistently associated with patient, diagnostic, and total delay from TB symptom onset to initiation of treatment in low-burden settings. Factors amenable to change should be the focus of public health interventions aimed at reducing TB diagnostic delay.
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Registered trials
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