Barriers to treatment adherence among patients with tuberculosis: a qualitative study of Pakistani nationals and Afghan refugees

To explore the economic costs and sources of financing for different public-private partnership (PPP) arrangements to tuberculosis (TB) provision involving both workplace and non-profit private providers in South Africa. The financing required for the different models from the perspective of the provincial TB programme, provider, and the patient are considered. Two models of TB provider partnerships were evaluated, relative to sole public provision: public-private workplace (PWP) and public-private non-government (PNP). The cost analysis was undertaken from a societal perspective. Costs were collected retrospectively to consider both the financial and economic costs. Patient costs were estimated using a retrospective structured patient interview. Expansion of PPPs could potentially lead to reduced government sector financing requirements for new patients: government financing would require $609-690 per new patient treated in the purely public model, in contrast to PNP sites which would only need to $130-139 per patient and $36-46 with the PWP model. Moreover, there are no patient costs associated with the treatment in the employer-based facilities and the cost to the patient supervised in the community is, on average, three times lower than in public sector facilities. The results suggest that there is a strong economic case for expanding PPP involvement in TB treatment in the process of scaling up. The cost to the government per new patient treated could be reduced by enhanced partnership between the private and public sectors.

BackgroundPublic health problems related to tuberculosis (TB) remain substantial globally, particularly in resource-limited countries. Determining TB treatment outcomes and identifying contributing factors are the basic components of the TB control strategy. In Ethiopia, different studies have been done on treatment outcomes and multiple associated factors, and there is also a little information on the effect of nutritional status on TB treatment outcomes. So there is a need for comprehensive research that examines the combined effects of multiple factors along with nutritional status.MethodsA five-year institution-based retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted at Mizan Tepi University Teaching Hospital, South West Ethiopia. This study included all tuberculosis patients who were documented in the TB registration and had known treatment outcomes at the treatment facility between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2020. Data was collected through a pretested structured data extraction checklist. Data were entered into Epidata version 3.1 and analyzed through SPSS version 22. Multiple logistic regression was employed to assess the association between dependent and independent variables. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.ResultOf the total 625 TB patients, 283 (45.3%), 175 (28%), and 167 (26.7%) had smear-positive, extra-pulmonary, and smear-negative tuberculosis, respectively. The majority of study participants had normal weight (62.2%), were in the age group of 15–44 (67.4%), were new cases (73.8%), and were from urban areas (69.4%). About 32.2% of cases were HIV-positive. The overall unsuccessful treatment rate was 25%. From the total unsuccessful treatment rates, the highest proportion was a death rate of 90 (14.4%), followed by a treatment failure of 56 (9%). Being female (AOR = 1.7, 95% CI: 1.2–2.5), HIV positive (AOR = 2.7, 95% CI: 1.9–4.1), undernutrition (BMI<18.5kg/m2) (AOR = 1.9, 95% CI: 1.3–2.9), and smear-negative pulmonary TB (AOR = 1.6, 95% CI: 1–2.5) were independent predictors of unsuccessful treatment outcomes.ConclusionThe treatment success rate in the study area is very poor. Poor treatment outcomes were associated with undernutrition, female gender, HIV positivity and smear-negative pulmonary TB. So, continuous and serious supervision and monitoring of directly observed treatment short course (DOTS) program accomplishment, early detection of HIV and TB, prompt anti TB and antiretroviral treatment initiation and adherence, enhanced nutritional assessment, and counseling services need to be strengthened to improve treatment outcomes.

Public health problems related to tuberculosis (TB) remain substantial globally, particularly in resource-limited countries. Determining TB treatment outcomes and identifying contributing factors are the basic components of the TB control strategy. In Ethiopia, different studies have been done on treatment outcomes and multiple associated factors, and there is also a little information on the effect of nutritional status on TB treatment outcomes. So there is a need for comprehensive research that examines the combined effects of multiple factors along with nutritional status. A five-year institution-based retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted at Mizan Tepi University Teaching Hospital, South West Ethiopia. This study included all tuberculosis patients who were documented in the TB registration and had known treatment outcomes at the treatment facility between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2020. Data was collected through a pretested structured data extraction checklist. Data were entered into Epidata version 3.1 and analyzed through SPSS version 22. Multiple logistic regression was employed to assess the association between dependent and independent variables. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Of the total 625 TB patients, 283 (45.3%), 175 (28%), and 167 (26.7%) had smear-positive, extra-pulmonary, and smear-negative tuberculosis, respectively. The majority of study participants had normal weight (62.2%), were in the age group of 15-44 (67.4%), were new cases (73.8%), and were from urban areas (69.4%). About 32.2% of cases were HIV-positive. The overall unsuccessful treatment rate was 25%. From the total unsuccessful treatment rates, the highest proportion was a death rate of 90 (14.4%), followed by a treatment failure of 56 (9%). Being female (AOR = 1.7, 95% CI: 1.2-2.5), HIV positive (AOR = 2.7, 95% CI: 1.9-4.1), undernutrition (BMI<18.5kg/m2) (AOR = 1.9, 95% CI: 1.3-2.9), and smear-negative pulmonary TB (AOR = 1.6, 95% CI: 1-2.5) were independent predictors of unsuccessful treatment outcomes. The treatment success rate in the study area is very poor. Poor treatment outcomes were associated with undernutrition, female gender, HIV positivity and smear-negative pulmonary TB. So, continuous and serious supervision and monitoring of directly observed treatment short course (DOTS) program accomplishment, early detection of HIV and TB, prompt anti TB and antiretroviral treatment initiation and adherence, enhanced nutritional assessment, and counseling services need to be strengthened to improve treatment outcomes.

Limited information is available regarding the functioning of DOTS (Directly Observed Treatment Short course) center for tuberculosis treatment under public private partnership with a medical college hospital. The present study was done to assess the various parameters related to the effectiveness of follow up treatment and its outcome in a DOTS center attached to a medical college hospital in coastal South India.Reports of patients with tuberculosis diagnosed and treated under Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme at KS Hegde Medical College hospital DOTS center under Mangalore TB unit were reviewed retrospectively for the period from July 2004 to June 2011. Data was described in proportion and chi square test was applied to assess the association of cases with age group and sex. Among 60 patients serially registered under DOTS, 41 (68.33 %) cases were females and 19 (31.67%) cases were males. Maximum number of cases belonged to 15-29 years age group (20, 33.3%) and the difference observed between the categories of TB and age group was found to be significant (P&lt;0.001). Overall 23 (38.33%), 12 (20%) and 25 (41.67%) cases received Cat-I, Cat-II and Cat-III treatment respectively. Success rate for new smear positive cases was 92.85% (13/14) and for Re-treatment smear positive cases was 88.89% (8/9). Sputum conversion rate among new smear positive cases (n= 14) at 2 months and 3 months was 85.71% and 92.86% respectively. Sputum conversion rate for Re-treatment cases (n=9) at 2 months and 3 months was 55.56% and 88.89% respectively. RNTCP is running successfully in this DOTS center with very low treatment failure rate and better outcome indicators, highlighting the importance of public private partnership of poorly functioning DOTS centers with medical colleges.

Background: Defaulting from Directly Observed Treatment Short Course (DOTS) is a big challenge to the effective control of TB. There are no published data on defaulting from DOTS in Benin City which necessitated this study to determine the rate of defaulting and identify factors that significantly contribute to defaulting in Benin City, Nigeria. Methods: This was a case control study from August to December 2011 of 1253 TB patients placed on DOTS in Benin City. The two DOTS centres used for the study were situated in University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) and Egor local government secretariat, both in Egor local government area (LGA) in Benin City. Out of 1253 patients registered on DOTS in the two study centres, 722 patients comprising of 172 defaulters and 550 non- defaulters were selected for the study using the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Logistic regression analysis was performed to determine association between independent variables and defaulting. Results: The default rate was 23.8%. Defaulting was significantly associated with: male sex (OR 3.05; 95%CI 1.60 - 5.80), being married (OR 3.06; 95%CI 1.34 - 6.99), a history of travel (OR 6.87; 95%CI 3.19 - 14.80) and concomitant drug use with TB drugs (OR 1.95; 95%CI 1.02 - 3.73). Conclusion: The default rate from DOTS in Benin City and the factors significantly associated with defaulting have given us some information initially unavailable about defaulting from DOTS in Benin City. TB control programmes taking these factors into consideration need to be done to promote compliance to treatment.

This study is a descriptive method of research which is concerned with the relationship of the DOTS client and clinical related factor to the level of effectiveness of the DOTS program. The clinical related factor provides knowledge as to the set-up of the DOTS facility. The researchers used the correlational survey design of research since the purpose of this research study is to correlate the DOTS client and clinical related factor as to the effectiveness of the Directly Observed Treatment Short course (DOTS) for tuberculosis in terms of program administration, information dissemination, diagnostic services and medical supplies, and medical follow up. The researchers used the NTPTB register of each Rural Health Unit for the list of clients who are registered under the Directly Observed Treatment Short course strategy for the fiscal year 2010 as the respondents of this study. There were eighty-two (82) DOTS client identified and diagnosed of having tuberculosis. In the analysis and interpretation of the data, frequency count, mean and percentage are employed particularly in the interpretation of the profile of the respondents and clinical related factor. Coefficient of Correlation and T-test (test of the relationship) is used in determining the influence of the profile of the client and clinical related factor to the effectiveness of the DOTS program. The findings of the study reveal that there is a significant relationship between the profile of the clients, clinical related factors and the level of effectiveness of the Directly Observed Treatment short course program of the RHU. Keywords - Descriptive Correlation, Directly Observed Treatment Short course, Clinical Related Factors, Level of Effectiveness, Zambales, Philippines

Introduction: Tuberculosis (TB) continues to remain one of the most pressing health problems, with India being the highest TB burden country. India has adopted and enforced Directly Observed Treatment Short course (DOTS) strategy to combat TB. The first line medicines in DOTS are known to cause adverse effects like gastritis, hepatotoxicity and skin allergies. This study was done to determine the occurrence of such adverse effects in patients under DOTS therapy and to assess their impact if any on patient compliance. Methods: A hospital based cross-sectional observational study was carried out on all newly diagnosed cases of TB as well as those registered in DOTS centre in Chest and TB department of a tertiary care hospital. A structured proforma was used to collect information regarding adverse effects of medicines under DOTS. Biochemical tests were done after voluntary consent. Results: A total of 168 patients (132 male, 36 female) were interviewed for the study. Patients reported adverse drug effects which mainly involved Gastro-intestinal system (39%), Genito-urinary system (32%), Musculo-skeletal system (13%), Central Nervous System (7%), Dermatological (6%), Vestibulo-ocular system (3%). 68.5% of the patients gave consent for biochemical investigations out of which Serum bilirubin (direct) was raised in 52%, Serum albumin was below normal limit in 59% and ESR was raised in 59%. Conclusion: Majority of adverse effects were mild. Most commonly encountered symptoms were abdominal. Most patients reported adverse drug effects to be the most likely cause to stop the treatment. Special interventions to cure these mild adverse effects can lead to increased patient compliance and hence a better cure rate. Results also showed that family plays the most important role as a support to combat the illness.

BackgroundExcellent adherence to tuberculosis (TB) treatment is critical to cure TB and avoid the emergence of resistance. Wirelessly observed therapy (WOT) is a novel patient self-management system consisting of an edible ingestion sensor (IS), external wearable patch, and paired mobile device that can detect and digitally record medication ingestions. Our study determined the accuracy of ingestion detection in clinical and home settings using WOT and subsequently compared, in a randomized control trial (RCT), confirmed daily adherence to medication in persons using WOT or directly observed therapy (DOT) during TB treatment.Methods and findingsWe evaluated WOT in persons with active Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex disease using IS-enabled combination isoniazid 150 mg/rifampin 300 mg (IS-Rifamate). Seventy-seven participants with drug-susceptible TB in the continuation phase of treatment, prescribed daily isoniazid 300 mg and rifampin 600 mg, used IS-Rifamate. The primary endpoints of the trial were determination of the positive detection accuracy (PDA) of WOT, defined as the percentage of ingestions detected by WOT administered under direct observation, and subsequently the proportion of prescribed doses confirmed by WOT compared to DOT. Initially participants received DOT and WOT simultaneously for 2–3 weeks to allow calculation of WOT PDA, and the 95% confidence interval (CI) was estimated using the bootstrap method with 10,000 samples. Sixty-one participants subsequently participated in an RCT to compare the proportion of prescribed doses confirmed by WOT and DOT. Participants were randomized 2:1 to receive WOT or maximal in-person DOT. In the WOT arm, if ingestions were not remotely confirmed, the participant was contacted within 24 hours by text or cell phone to provide support. The number of doses confirmed was collected, and nonparametric methods were used for group and individual comparisons to estimate the proportions of confirmed doses in each randomized arm with 95% CIs. Sensitivity analyses, not prespecified in the trial registration, were also performed, removing all nonworking (weekend and public holiday) and held-dose days. Participants, recruited from San Diego (SD) and Orange County (OC) Divisions of TB Control and Refugee Health, were 43.1 (range 18–80) years old, 57% male, 42% Asian, and 39% white with 49% Hispanic ethnicity. The PDA of WOT was 99.3% (CI 98.1; 100). Intent-to-treat (ITT) analysis within the RCT showed WOT confirmed 93% versus 63% DOT (p < 0.001) of daily doses prescribed. Secondary analysis removing all nonworking days (weekends and public holidays) and held doses from each arm showed WOT confirmed 95.6% versus 92.7% (p = 0.31); WOT was non-inferior to DOT (difference 2.8% CI [−1.8%, 9.1%]). One hundred percent of participants preferred using WOT. WOT associated adverse events were <10%, consisting of minor skin rash and pruritus associated with the patch. WOT provided longitudinal digital reporting in near real time, supporting patient self-management and allowing rapid remote identification of those who needed more support to maintain adherence. This study was conducted during the continuation phase of TB treatment, limiting its generalizability to the entire TB treatment course.ConclusionsIn terms of accuracy, WOT was equivalent to DOT. WOT was superior to DOT in supporting confirmed daily adherence to TB medications during the continuation phase of TB treatment and was overwhelmingly preferred by participants. WOT should be tested in high-burden TB settings, where it may substantially support low- and middle-income country (LMIC) TB programs.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT01960257.

Tuberculosis (TB) is still a major public health challenge globally and Uganda is one among the top 30 high TB burden countries. One of the key factors determining TB treatment success rates and thereby Cure Rates is the adherence to TB treatment, which is still a major challenge globally. WHO DOTS (Directly Observed Treatment Short course) strategy has several limitations and WHO End TB Strategy 2017 suggests a suite of new interventions to improve adherence. a. To present the development and design of ZMQ's Active Care and Treatment Strategy (ACTS) Model.b. To present the results of a pilot study done using the ACTS Model.c. To compare Treatment Adherence Rates between DOTS and Video Observed Treatment (VOT) in the four districts of Uganda. Includes presenting the ACTS Model, a pilot study to assess the AGB and ACF by way of a pre-post (Quasi-experimental) study (n = 1000) to assess the impact of AGB exercises, Focus Group Discussions (FGD) to get insights into factors contributing to treatment non-adherence and a comparison between VOT (n = 800) vs. DOTS for treatment adherence. There was a significant improvement (p<0.01) in knowledge and awareness levels of community members post the AGB exercises which included creating awareness using digital storytelling, house visits and more. TB treatment adherence rates among TB patients using VOT was significantly better (p<0.01) than those using DOTS. AGB and ACF play a significant role in creating more awareness amongst the community members and identifying more number of cases. It helps in better treatment seeking behaviour, improved treatment rates and treatment adherence rates and in turn better cure rates. VOT is far more superior to DOTS, as a strategy for TB treatment adherence and VOT decreases the resources required in terms of human resource, time and money and is also a more sustainable mode of treatment adherence.

Tuberculosis is a common respiratory disease imposing significant health burden. Directly observed treatment short course strategy ensures patient compliance in tuberculosis treatment. The aim of this study was to assess pattern of tuberculosis, trend and outcome of patients registered at Directly observed treatment short course centre of Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital. A retrospective observational study was conducted at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital. Tuberculosis patients of all age groups registered from July 2017 to June 2020 at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital Directly observed treatment short course centre were included. Data entry and analysis was done in SPSS version 20.0. Descriptive statistics was performed and results were interpreted in mean, frequency and percentage. A total of 2790 tuberculosis patients were included for final analysis. There were 1736 (62.2%) males. Mean age of patients was 37.94±20.28 years. Pulmonary tuberculosis was the most common type of tuberculosis seen in 948 (34%) patients. Fifty percent of total tuberculosis cases were confined to thorax. Tubercular pleural effusion and pleurisy (14.6%), central nervous system (13.2%), bone and joint (12.2%) were common forms of extrapulmonary tuberculosis. The mean incident tuberculosis cases registered annually was 697.5±95.63. Nearly half (49.1%) of the patients completed tuberculosis treatment regimen while 43.3% were referred to other Directly observed treatment short course centre as per their convenience. This study reflects the trend and pattern of tuberculosis epidemiology at tertiary care hospital of Nepal. There is a huge burden of both pulmonary and extrapulmonary tuberculosis at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital with slight annual variation in incident tuberculosis cases. Despite implementation of Directly observed treatment short course, the problem of non-compliance persists among the tuberculosis patients.

After the initial gains in Tuberculosis case detection and cure rates, progress became stunted by persisting constraints and challenges in the implementation of the Directly Observed Treatment Short course strategy. This prompted the Stop Tuberculosis partners in 2006 to adopt innovative approaches including the Public-Private Mix, to improve access to and quality of care. This paper assesses the level of Public-Private Mix in Tuberculosis control in Jos, Plateau State. This was a facility-based, cross sectional study where data from all consenting private health care facilities owned by medically trained personnel and private medical practitioners in Jos North and Jos South Local Government Areas was collected using structured questionnaires. Eight (47.1%) of all 17 facilities assessed gave anti Tuberculosis drugs on clinical suspicion of Tuberculosis, 5(29.4%) required Acid Fast Bacillus result and 3(17.6%) referred elsewhere for the Tuberculosis management. Only 6 facilities (35.3%) were microscopy, treatment centres, or both. Ten (58.8%) of the facilities had the Directly Observed Treatment Short course guidelines, but these could be sighted in only 5 (29.4%), while six (35.3%) had Tuberculosis record and referral forms. In 13 (76.5%) of the facilities, no local government Tuberculosis and Leprosy supervisors had ever visited them. Only 30 (57.7%) medical practitioners had access to the Directly Observed Treatment Short course. Thirty two (61.5%) respondents treated Tuberculosis according to the Directly Observed Treatment Short course strategy, but 19 (36.5%) still used the conventional method. Only 22(42.3%) practitioners had ever received any training on the Directly Observed Treatment Short course strategy. The level of Public-Private Mix in Tuberculosis control in Jos is low.

BackgroundNonadherence to treatment remains a barrier to tuberculosis (TB) control. Directly observed therapy (DOT) is the standard for monitoring adherence to TB treatment worldwide, but its implementation is challenging, especially in resource-limited settings. DOT is labor-intensive and inconvenient to both patients and health care workers. Video DOT (VDOT) is a novel patient-centered alternative that uses mobile technology to observe patients taking medication remotely. However, the perceptions and acceptability of potential end users have not been evaluated in Africa.ObjectiveThis study explores stakeholders’ acceptability of, as well as perceptions of potential benefits of and barriers to, using VDOT to inform a pilot study for monitoring patients with TB in urban Uganda.MethodsAn exploratory, qualitative, cross-sectional study with an exit survey was conducted in Kampala, Uganda, from April to May 2018. We conducted 5 focus group discussions, each comprising 6 participants. Groups included patients with TB (n=2 groups; male and female), health care providers (n=1), caregivers (n=1), and community DOT volunteer workers (n=1). The questions that captured perceived benefits and barriers were guided by domains adopted from the Technology Acceptance Model. These included perceived usefulness, ease of use, and intent to use technology. Eligible participants were aged ≥18 years and provided written informed consent. For patients with TB, we included only those who had completed at least 2 months of treatment to minimize the likelihood of infection. A purposive sample of patients, caregivers, health care providers, and community DOT workers was recruited at 4 TB clinics in Kampala. Trained interviewers conducted unstructured interviews that were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using inductive content analysis to generate emerging themes.ResultsThe average age of participants was 34.5 (SD 10.7) years. VDOT was acceptable to most participants on a scale of 1 to 10. Of the participants, 70% (21/30) perceived it as highly acceptable, with scores ≥8, whereas 30% (9/30) scored between 5 and 7. Emergent themes on perceived benefits of VDOT were facilitation of easy adherence monitoring, timely follow-up on missed doses, patient-provider communication, and saving time and money because of minimal travel to meet in person. Perceived barriers included limited technology usability skills, inadequate cellular connectivity, internet access, availability of electricity, cost of the smartphone, and use of the internet. Some female patients raised concerns about the disruption of their domestic work routines to record videos. The impact of VDOT on privacy and confidentiality emerged as both a perceived benefit and barrier.ConclusionsVDOT was acceptable and perceived as beneficial by most study participants, despite potential technical and cost barriers. Mixed perceptions emerged about the impact of VDOT on privacy and confidentiality. Future efforts should focus on training users, ensuring adequate technical infrastructure, assuring privacy, and performing comparative cost analyses in the local context.

Introduction: Good health is rightly regarded as a treasure. Our physical, economic and social well-being is directly related to it. In an age when someone believe that he/she has the tools to conquer most of the diseases, the myth of ancient scourge related to Tuberculosis (TB) still causes approx 2 million deaths every year, more than any other single infectious organism, reminding us that we still have a long way to go. Even we have dots therapy to treat TB effectively; we are powerless to eradicate this lethal infection. TB is not only a problem for the person suffering from it or their own families but a public health problem of the entire world. It is a barrier to social – economic development and the greatest burden of tuberculosis incidence and mortality in India is in adults aged 15 – 60 years which include the most productive members of society. The Government of India has launched program, to control TB in India in 1993 named as Revised National Tuberculosis Control Program (RNTCP) and adopted the internationally recommended Directly Observed Treatment Short course therapy (DOTS), mainly focused on providing free sputum smear microscopic test for identification as well as high quality drugs to treat AFB free of cost. Tuberculosis is the second most leading cause of deaths worldwide after HIV/STD infections. Roughly 13.2 million (new and old cases), new cases 9.2 million every year is affected globally. About 1/3rd of the world’s population is infected with mycobacterium tuberculi. Approximately one in every 10 of these people will develop symptoms of TB, which is mainly consist of chronic cough, severe weight loss, diaphoresis and progressive irreversible pulmonary damage. TB has not got the requisite attention because it is a disease of the poor and the downtrodden, which do not have adequate influence with policy makers. Current detection and cure rates: - The detection rate in the state of Delhi is 296 per 100,000 populations. (Ref - Annual report, RNTCP program, Govt. of India-2008).Operation ASHA’s detection rate is 360 per 100,000. Covering 50% of all the TB patients in South Delhi, and the government and remaining NGOs are treating the rest. Objectives 1) To assess the knowledge about drug compliance on DOTS therapy among TB patients attending DOTS centre in selected hospital, Gurgaon. 2) To find out the association between the knowledge with socio-demographical variables. Material and Methods: Descriptive research design was used to assess the knowledge about drug compliance on DOTS therapy among TB patients attending DOTS centre in selected hospital, Gurgram. Convenient sampling technique was used to select 60 TB patients of District Hospital, Gurgaon, Budhera. Informed written consent was taken from each student. Result: The finding of the study revealed that Reveals that mean knowledge score is 15.22 approx., median is 15 and SD is 3.1 approx. Conclusion: On the basis of total mean knowledge score it inferred that knowledge score about drug compliance on DOTS therapy among TB patients attending DOTS centre was good

Objective: To rank diagnostic features of childhood pulmonary tuberculosis; and to determine the effect of working in tuberculosis Directly Observed Treatment Short Course (DOTS) facilities on the ranking of these features by medical doctors. Methods: A cross sectional descriptive study, using structured questionnaires to collect data from medical doctors whose daily routine included attending to sick children in 34 selected children outpatient clinics and TB DOTS centers in southeastern Nigeria. Results: Approximately, one quarter (25.3% or 56 of 221) of respondents worked in Directly Observed Treatment Short course (DOTS) clinics, while three quarters (74.7% or 165 of 221) worked in nonDOTSclinics. Majority of the respondents (69.7%) ranked chronic persistent cough (1), 42.5 % ranked weight loss and failure to thrive (2), another 27.7% ranked weight loss and failure to thrive (3), while 17.6% and 21.7% ranked History of contact with adult index case and radiographic abnormalities, (4) and (5), respectively. The study found that the percentage of doctors working in DOTS clinics who ranked weight loss and failure to thrive (2) was statistically and significantly higher than those of non-DOTS respondents. Conclusions: The most important symptoms/signs on which medical doctors based their diagnosis of childhood pulmonary tuberculosis include cough, weight loss and failure to thrive, history of contact with adult with smear positive pulmonary tuberculosis, and radiographic abnormalities consistent with active tuberculosis. There was statistically significant difference between the ranking of weight loss and failure to thrive by doctors working in DOTS clinics and their counterparts in non DOTS clinics. This study showed a decline in the percentage of ranking in both DOTS and Non DOTS respondents as they moved from the first to the fifth. KEY WORDS: Childhood pulmonary tuberculosis, Doctors, Ranking, Diagnostic features, Directly observed treatment short course (DOTS).

Anti-tuberculosis medication side-effects constitute major factor for poor adherence to tuberculosis treatment