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Socio‐economic, gender and health services factors affecting diagnostic delay for tuberculosis patients in urban Zambia
Author(s) -
Needham Dale M.,
Foster Susan D.,
Tomlinson George,
GodfreyFaussett Peter
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
tropical medicine and international health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.056
H-Index - 114
eISSN - 1365-3156
pISSN - 1360-2276
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-3156.2001.00709.x
Subject(s) - medicine , tuberculosis , psychological intervention , decentralization , public health , pulmonary tuberculosis , health care , developing country , family medicine , private sector , environmental health , nursing , economic growth , pathology , political science , law , economics
In‐depth interviews regarding health seeking behaviour were conducted with 202 adults registered with pulmonary tuberculosis at the centralized Chest Clinic in Lusaka, Zambia. The median (mean) diagnostic delay was 8.6 (9) weeks, and was significantly associated with the following factors: female sex, lower education, more than six instances of health‐seeking encounters, outpatient diagnosis of tuberculosis, and visiting a private doctor or traditional healer. More effective tuberculosis control interventions require novel methods of accessing women and less educated people. Decentralization of public tuberculosis care and improved integration with private sector health providers may also reduce diagnostic delay.