DELAY IN DIAGNOSIS OF TUBERCULOSIS AMONG PATIENTS ATTENDING DIFFERENT DOTS CENTRES OF BHARATPUR METROPOLITAN CITY, CHITWAN

Abstract

Background: Delay in the diagnosis of tuberculosis can lead to an increased inactivity period, delayed treatment, and increased disease severity. The objective of this study was to identify the magnitude of the delay and the factors causing a delay in the diagnosis of Tuberculosis. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study of 216 tuberculosis patients was conducted at 29 DOTS centers in the Bharatpur metropolitan city of Nepal from November 2021 to April 2022. Data was collected by a face-to-face interview method using a Semi-structured questionnaire. Data entry and analysis were done through IBM-SPSS 20 version, and the Pearson Chi-Squared test was used to find the association between the delay status of diagnosis of Tuberculosis and some independent variables at a 5% level of significance. Results: Present study showed that median patient delay, health system delay and total delay were 21.5 days, 17 days and 40 days, respectively. Similarly, the Pearson chi-square test showed that the sex (P=0.005< 0.05, df =1), level of knowledge on tuberculosis symptoms (P=0.008< 0.05, df=1) and age of respondents (P=0.001< 0.05, df=1) were found significant to the total delay time of tuberculosis diagnosis. Conclusions: Total median delay in diagnosing Tuberculosis was around six weeks, and the patient delay was higher than the health system delay. Interventions to improve knowledge and awareness of the disease and to increase the suspicion of chest symptoms by healthcare providers in health institutions are vital measures to reduce total delay in diagnosis.