title: Defaults, defaulter action and retrieval of patients during studies on tuberculous meningitis in children.
abstract: Chemotherapy studies were undertaken on 180 children, aged between 1 and 12 years, with tuberculous meningitis. They received therapy for 12 months. As approximately one-half of the patients came from outside Madras city, retrieval action was not possible in all cases of default. Despite this, a high rate of compliance and punctuality was achieved as a result of initial and periodic motivation. This report highlights the role and importance of motivation in the prevention of default and the retrieval of defaulters during the treatment of children with tuberculous meningitis.
authors.affiliation: Tuberculosis Research Centre, Chetput, Madras, India.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ramachandran
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Prabhakar
mesh_terms: D000995:Antitubercular Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D010349:Patient Compliance; D016312:Treatment Refusal; D014390:Tuberculosis, Meningeal / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology*
chemical_list: D000995:Antitubercular Agents