title: Survey of patients presenting to the government chest service in Hong Kong and the effects of active tuberculosis case-finding by publicity campaigns. Hong Kong Chest Service/British Medical Research Council.
abstract: A previous survey showed that many of the patients diagnosed in a Government chest clinic as new cases of active pulmonary tuberculosis had already attended one or more private practitioners, and that this often resulted in a considerable delay before first attending the Government clinic. Furthermore, outside the Government clinics the standards of investigation, diagnosis and treatment were found to be very variable and patients were, in general, ill informed about the Government chest clinics and the free service they offered. Active case-finding campaigns using television, radio, posters, and leaflets were therefore conducted in 1979 and 1981 and the effects of the campaigns monitored. The aim was to encourage people with a cough which had lasted for a month or more to attend a Government chest clinic for free advice and, if necessary, treatment. In the event, during and immediately after the campaigns there were only minor increases in the numbers of new clinic attenders and of patients with cough, and there were no detectable increases in new cases of tuberculosis. The campaigns failed, in particular, to persuade middle-aged and elderly men with cough and sputum to attend a clinic, although there is evidence that in this group there is a high incidence of tuberculosis requiring treatment.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion; D006723:Hong Kong; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D011635:Public Health Administration; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000453:epidemiology*