Table 1 definitions of treatment outcomes for tuberculosis patients
Treatment Outcomes | Definitions |
|---|---|
Cured | A pulmonary TB patient with bacteriologically confirmed TB at the beginning of treatment who was smear- or culture-negative in the last month of treatment and on at least one previous occasion. |
Treatment completed | A TB patient who completed treatment without evidence of failure but with no record to show that sputum smear or culture results in the last month of treatment and on at least one previous occasion were negative, either because tests were not done or because results are unavailable. |
Treatment failure | A TB patient whose sputum smear or culture is positive at month 5 or later during treatment. |
Death | A TB patient who dies for any reason during the course of treatment. |
Lost to follow-up | A TB patient whose treatment was interrupted for two consecutive months or more. |
Poor treatment outcome | The sum of failure, death and lost to follow up. |
Treatment success | The sum of cured and treatment completed. |