Abstract
Background:Pretreatment loss to follow-up (PTLFU) is used as performance indicator of Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) of India.Objective:To document the PTLFU, identify additional indicators and examine documentation of all the diagnosed sputum positive pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) patients under RNTCP.Methodology:Tuberculosis (TB) laboratory, referral for treatment registers, and referral forms were perused for information on sputum positive PTB patients diagnosed from January to June 2014, in 3 TB Units in Chennai.Results:PTLFU was 24% (572 out of 2361). However, in pursuance with the principle of ensuring that all diagnosed patients must be started on treatment following referral, it was inflated to 44% (1046 out of 2361).Conclusion:The existing PTLFU indicator does not reflect the proportion of treatment initiation of all diagnosed smear-positive PTB patients. We propose additional indicators for monitoring referral and treatment initiation of all diagnosed sputum positive PTB patients.
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Schedule a callMore From: Indian journal of community medicine : official publication of Indian Association of Preventive & Social Medicine
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