Disease rate as an artifact of the health care system: tuberculosis in Puerto Rico.
It is demonstrated that the reported rates of tuberculosis in Puerto Rico comprise a direct, positive measurement of location, infrastructure and numbers of personnel in the health care system. The disease map does not reflect true geographic prevalence, but it is a measurable artifact of the health care system. Areas of high and low reporting and zones of minimum patient contact, are identified in the interests of program management.
D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000639:trends*; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D011647:Puerto Rico; D012931:Social Environment; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission