Treatment initiation and Compliance among TB patients in Addis Ababa
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Date
1997-12
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Addis Abeba Universty
Abstract
A hospital based descriptive and longitudinal study with internal
comparIson was carried out to describe the treatment initiation pattern and
compliance rate among tuberculosis patients . All government health center
providing tuberculosis treatment were part of the study, patients were interviewed
by nurses in health center. The study was carried out in Addis Ababa between
May 9 1997 to September 25 1997. A total of 765 newly diagnosed tuberculosis
patients were enrolled in the study.
The median time from the onset of the illness until the initial medical
consultation was 2 months (patient's delay). This delay was longer in uneducated
patients.
Fifty percent of patients were put on treatment with correct diagnosis within 10
days of first consultation (doctor's delay). Almost all patients had at least one
symptom suggestive of tuberculosis at presentation and mean number of
consultations before diagnosis was two .
Patients who first visited private clinic had shorter doctor's delay than
those who first saw government health institutions. The median total delay was
three months at the time of treatment initiation. Overall patients compliance
during the intensive phase of DOTS was 97 %.
The study concluded that the public should be educated about the early
symptoms of tuberculosis and the need to seek early medical attention
particularly, those with little or no formal education.
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Treatment initiation and Compliance