Predictors of delayed sputum smear conversion among pulmonary tuberculosis patients in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia :  A retrospective cohort study

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Abstract

Smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis (SPPTB) is the major contributor to the spread of tuberculosis (TB) infection, and it creates high morbidity and mortality worldwide. The objective of this study was to determine the predictors of delayed sputum smear conversion at the end of the intensive phase of TB treatment in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia.

This retrospective study was conducted utilising data of SPPTB patients treated in 5 TB treatment centres located in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia from 2013 to 2018. Pulmonary TB (PTB) patients included in the study were those who had at least completed the intensive phase of anti-TB treatment with sputum smear results at the end of the 2nd month of treatment. The factors associated with delayed sputum smear conversion were analyzed using multiple logistic regression analysis. Predictors of sputum smear conversion at the end of intensive phase were evaluated.

A total of 2641 patients from the 2013 to 2018 periods were included in this study. One hundred eighty nine (7.2%) patients were identified as having delayed sputum smear conversion at the end of the intensive phase treatment. Factors of moderate (advanced odd ratio [aOR]: 1.7) and advanced (aOR: 2.7) chest X-ray findings at diagnosis, age range of >60 (aOR: 2.1), year of enrolment 2016 (aOR: 2.8), 2017 (aOR: 3.9), and 2018 (aOR: 2.8), smokers (aOR: 1.5), no directly observed treatment short-course (DOTS) supervisor (aOR: 6.9), non-Malaysian citizens (aOR: 1.5), and suburban home locations (aOR: 1.6) were associated with delayed sputum smear conversion at the end of the intensive phase of the treatment.

To improve sputum smear conversion success rate, the early detection of PTB cases has to be fine-tuned so as to reduce late or severe case presentation during diagnosis. Efforts must also be in place to encourage PTB patients to quit smoking. The percentage of patients assigned with DOTS supervisors should be increased while at the same time ensuring that vulnerable groups such as those residing in suburban localities, the elderly and migrant TB patients are provided with proper follow-up treatment and management.

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Are differences in travel time or distance to healthcare for adults in global north countries associated with an impact on health outcomes? A systematic review

Charlotte Kelly, Claire Hulme, Tracey Farragher … (2016)

Objectives To investigate whether there is an association between differences in travel time/travel distance to healthcare services and patients' health outcomes and assimilate the methodologies used to measure this. Design Systematic Review. We searched MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, Transport database, HMIC and EBM Reviews for studies up to 7 September 2016. Studies were excluded that included children (including maternity), emergency medical travel or countries classed as being in the global south. Settings A wide range of settings within primary and secondary care (these were not restricted in the search). Results 108 studies met the inclusion criteria. The results were mixed. 77% of the included studies identified evidence of a distance decay association, whereby patients living further away from healthcare facilities they needed to attend had worse health outcomes (eg, survival rates, length of stay in hospital and non-attendance at follow-up) than those who lived closer. 6 of the studies identified the reverse (a distance bias effect) whereby patients living at a greater distance had better health outcomes. The remaining 19 studies found no relationship. There was a large variation in the data available to the studies on the patients' geographical locations and the healthcare facilities attended, and the methods used to calculate travel times and distances were not consistent across studies. Conclusions The review observed that a relationship between travelling further and having worse health outcomes cannot be ruled out and should be considered within the healthcare services location debate.

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A systematic review of delay in the diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis

Dag Gundersen Storla, Solomon Yimer, Gunnar Aksel Bjune (2008)

Background Early diagnosis and immediate initiation of treatment are essential for an effective tuberculosis (TB) control program. Delay in diagnosis is significant to both disease prognosis at the individual level and transmission within the community. Most transmissions occur between the onset of cough and initiation of treatment. Methods A systematic review of 58 studies addressing delay in diagnosis and treatment of TB was performed. We found different definitions of, for example, debut of symptoms, first appropriate health care provider, time to diagnosis, and start of treatment. Rather than excluding studies that failed to meet strict scientific criteria (like in a meta-analysis), we tried to extract the "solid findings" from all of them to arrive on a more global understanding of diagnostic delay in TB. Results The main factors associated with diagnostic delay included human immunodeficiency virus; coexistence of chronic cough and/or other lung diseases; negative sputum smear; extrapulmonary TB; rural residence; low access (geographical or sociopsychological barriers); initial visitation of a government low-level healthcare facility, private practitioner, or traditional healer; old age; poverty; female sex; alcoholism and substance abuse; history of immigration; low educational level; low awareness of TB; incomprehensive beliefs; self-treatment; and stigma. Conclusion The core problem in delay of diagnosis and treatment seemed to be a vicious cycle of repeated visits at the same healthcare level, resulting in nonspecific antibiotic treatment and failure to access specialized TB services. Once generation of a specific diagnosis was in reach, TB treatment was initiated within a reasonable period of time.

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Tobacco and tuberculosis: a qualitative systematic review and meta-analysis.

D Enarson, A Fanning, K Slama … (2007)

To assess the strength of evidence in published articles for an association between smoking and passive exposure to tobacco smoke and various manifestations and outcomes of tuberculosis (TB). Clinicians and public health workers working to fight TB may not see a role for themselves in tobacco control because the association between tobacco and TB has not been widely accepted. A qualitative review and meta-analysis was therefore undertaken. Reference lists, PubMed, the database of the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease and Google Scholar were searched for a final inclusion of 42 articles in English containing 53 outcomes for data extraction. A quality score was attributed to each study to classify the strength of evidence according to each TB outcome. A meta-analysis was then performed on results from included studies. Despite the limitations in the data available, the evidence was rated as strong for an association between smoking and TB disease, moderate for the association between second-hand smoke exposure and TB disease and between smoking and retreatment TB disease, and limited for the association between smoking and tuberculous infection and between smoking and TB mortality. There was insufficient evidence to support an association of smoking and delay, default, slower smear conversion, greater severity of disease or drug-resistant TB or of second-hand tobacco smoke exposure and infection. The association between smoking and TB disease appears to be causal. Smoking can have an important impact on many aspects of TB. Clinicians can confidently advise patients that quitting smoking and avoiding exposure to others' tobacco smoke are important measures in TB control.

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Author and article information

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): Medicine (Baltimore)

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): Medicine (Baltimore)

Journal ID (publisher-id): MEDI

Title: Medicine

Publisher: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (Hagerstown, MD )

ISSN (Print): 0025-7974

ISSN (Electronic): 1536-5964

Publication date Collection: 06 August 2021

Publication date (Electronic): 06 August 2021

Volume: 100

Issue: 31

Electronic Location Identifier: e26841

Affiliations

[a ]Department of Community and Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

[b ]Department of Community Health, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

[c ]Kota Kinabalu District Health Office, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

[d ]Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia.

Author notes

[∗ ]Correspondence: Firdaus Hayati, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia (e-mail: firdaushayati@ 123456gmail.com , m_firdaus@ 123456ums.edu.my ).

Article

Publisher ID: MD-D-20-11796 Accession ID: 26841

DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000026841

PMC ID: 8341317

PubMed ID: 34397855

SO-VID: 31564f0b-05db-4c5b-9f65-07cf53481ed5

License:

This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial License 4.0 (CCBY-NC), where it is permissible to download, share, remix, transform, and buildup the work provided it is properly cited. The work cannot be used commercially without permission from the journal. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0

History

Date received : 27 November 2020

Date revision received : 8 July 2021

Date accepted : 9 July 2021

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Keywords: malaysia,pulmonary tuberculosis,retrospective study,sputum

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Keywords: malaysia, pulmonary tuberculosis, retrospective study, sputum

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Predictors of delayed sputum smear conversion among pulmonary tuberculosis patients in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia : A retrospective cohort study

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Most cited references 44

Are differences in travel time or distance to healthcare for adults in global north countries associated with an impact on health outcomes? A systematic review

A systematic review of delay in the diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis

Tobacco and tuberculosis: a qualitative systematic review and meta-analysis.

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