title: [Treatment with tuberculostatic drugs: compliance at a general hospital].
abstract: The purpose of this study was to assess the compliance with tuberculostatic drugs treatment in a public hospital from Córdoba City and to establish the causes of noncompliance. All the patients to which treatment with tuberculostatic drugs was indicated from January 1991 up to December 1994 were included. 45 patients were included: 18 females (40%) and 29 males. Sixteen (35.6%) did not complete the time of treatment indicated. Nine (56.3%) abandoned the treatment 2 months after having initiated it. In the group that did not complete the treatment there was a higher percentage of female patients (62.5%) than in the group that did complete it (27.6%), p = 0.02. There were not statistically significant differences in age, percentages of pulmonar and extrapulmonar tuberculosis and months of treatment indicated between both groups. Thirty-six percent of the patients who abandoned the treatment referred having interrupted it due to their own negligency, knowing the risk of such behavior; 36% suffered side effects and did not come back to hospital; 21% referred having consulted another physician who indicated to interrupt the treatment without performing other tests; and 7% misunderstood the indications. It is concluded that in a general hospital from Córdoba City, the percentage of patients who abandoned tuberculostatic treatment is high. In most cases the cause was related to failures in the conduct of patients, physicians or both.
authors.affiliation: Hospital Nacional de Clínicas-Facultad de Ciencias Médicas-Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Argentina.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Polo Friz
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kremer
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Acosta
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Abdala
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Canova
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rojo
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Roca
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Daín
mesh_terms: D000995:Antitubercular Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D006769:Hospitals, General; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010349:Patient Compliance / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016312:Treatment Refusal; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D000995:Antitubercular Agents
vernacular_title: Terapeutica con tuberculostaticos: cumplimiento en un hospital general.