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Table 1 Time delays in diagnosis among pulmonary tuberculosis patients in Low and middle income countries

From: Time delays in diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis: a systematic review of literature

Year of

Study

Country

Study

Design

Study setting

Patient

delay

Health system

delay

Total delay

Reference

1997

Vietnam

Cross-sectional, Interview

District TB Units

3 w

7 w

9.9 w

[13]

1999

South Africa

Cross-sectional, interview

Hospitalized patients

4 w

4 w

10 w

[14]

1998

Tanzania

Cross-sectional, interview

Government health facilities

162 d

21 d

185 d

[15]

2003

Ethiopia

Cross-sectional, interview

TB management Units

15 d

61 d

80 d

[16]

2002

China

Longitudinal recruitment, interview

County TB Dispensaries

12.5 d

16 d

25 d

[17]

2001

China

Cross-sectional, patient records & interview

All types of health facilities

12.5 d

2 d

57 d

[18]

1997–1998

India

Cross-sectional

All types of health facilities

20 d

23 d

60 d

[19]

1998–2000

Thailand

Longitudinal recruitment

Tertiary hospital

13.3 d

8.2 d

-

[20]

1996

Vietnam

Cross-sectional, interview

Government health facilities

5.8 w

6.1 w

11.9 w

[21]

2002

Uganda

Cross-sectional, interview

TB treatment centres & hospitals

1 w

9 w

12 w

[22]

2000–2001

Nigeria

Longitudinal recruitment, interview

Tertiary hospital

8 w

1 w

10 w

[23]

2002

Vietnam

Cross-sectional, interview

District TB units

3 w

1 w

4 w

[24]

2004

China

Cross-sectional, interview

TB dispensaries

30 d

24 d

65 d

[25]

2003

India

Cross-sectional, TB records and interview

DOTS clinics

21 d

7 d

32 d

[26]

2003

India

Cross-sectional, interview

Government health facilities

28 d

28 d

62 d

[27]

2003–2004

Thailand

Longitudinal recruitment, interview

Community and tertiary hospital

4.4 w

2.8 w

9.4 w

[28]

2001

Ethiopia

Cross-sectional, interview

Public health centres

60 d

6 d

64 d

[29]

1993–1994

Botswana

Cross-sectional, TB records & interview

TB clinics

3 w

8 w

12 w

[30]

1997–1999

Nepal

Longitudinal recruitment & interview

Government health facilities

0.7 m

1.5 m

2.8 m

[31]

1995

Ghana

Cross-sectional, interview

Chest clinic of a teaching hospital

4 w

8 w

12 w

[32]

1997

Malaysia

Cross-sectional, Interview

University Hospital

2 w

7 w

12.5 w

[33]

2003–2004

Malaysia

Cross-sectional, Interview

TB clinics

30 d

22 d

-

[34]

1999

Turkey

Cross-sectional, Interview

Hospitalized patients

26.9

13.1 d

 

[35]

2003

Bolivia

Cross-sectional, interview

TB clinics

3.6 w

6.2 w

12.9 w

[36]

1997

Gambia

Cross-sectional, interview

All types of health centres

0.7 w

10.8 w

11.5 w

[37]

2004

Turkey

Cross-sectional, interview

Tertiary care hospital

46.4 d

30.3 d

-

[38]

2001

Turkey

Cross-sectional, interview

Tertiary care hospital

31.4 d

25.4 d

-

[39]

2006

China

Historical cohort, interview

-

19 d

5 d

31 d

[40]

1994

Malaysia

Longitudinal recruitment, interview

Tertiary care hospital

15 d

35 d

90 d

[41]

1996

Mongolia

Cross-sectional, Interview

Specialist TB centres

29 d

35 d

78 d

[42]

2008

China

Retrospective analysis of computerized patient records

County TB centres

60 d

4 d

71 d

[43]

2008

Argentina

Cross-sectional survey, Interview

Public health facilities

59 d

33 d

92 d

[44]

2007

Bangladesh

Cross-sectional survey

Public health facilities

50 d

11 d

60 d

[45]

2003/4

Pakistan

Cross-sectional survey, interview

Chest clinics

9 d

87 d

91 d

[46]

2003/4

Iran

Cross-sectional survey, interview

Public health facilities

24 d

42 d

88 d

[46]

2003/4

Somalia

Cross-sectional survey, interview

DOTS centres

53 d

7 d

58 d

[46]

2003/4

Egypt

Cross-sectional survey, interview

Public health facilities

12 d

18 d

42 d

[46]

2003/4

Iraq

Cross-sectional survey, interview

Tertiary care hospital

31 d

2 d

36 d

[46]

2003/4

Yemen

Cross-sectional survey, interview

Public health facilities

28 d

4 d

35 d

[46]

2002–2004

Syria

Cross-sectional interview

DOTS centres

52.7 d

27.6 d

77.6 d

[46]

2008

South Africa

Cross-sectional, interview

Hospital-based

14

30

60

[47]

2003

Syria

Prospective recruitment

DOTS Clinic

31

12

55

[48]

2005

Kenya

Cross-sectional

interview

TB/Chest clinic

42

2

44

[49]

2003

Columbia

Cross-sectional

interview

Chest/TB Clinics

30

60

120

[50]

2006

Pakistan

Cross-sectional

Chest clinic at Teaching hospital

33

60

90

[51]

  1. d-days, w-weeks, m-months