title: Patient and disease characteristics, and outcome of treatment defaulters from the Singapore TB control unit--a one-year retrospective survey.
abstract: METHODS
  The Singapore Tuberculosis Control Unit.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  1) To identify any demographic, social, disease or treatment-related characteristics which may be predictive of patients defaulting from treatment; 2) to assess the effectiveness of home visits as a means of defaulter recall; 3) to ascertain outcome in these patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective, case-controlled study of TB treatment defaulters, defined as patients who missed their scheduled appointments and required a home visit to recall for treatment. Controls were randomly selected, non-defaulting patients who started treatment on the same dates as the defaulters.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Forty-four patients required home visits in 1996. Compared to controls, defaulters were more likely to be non-Chinese, and to live on their own or with friends. There was no significant association of defaulting with age, sex, marital or employment status, disease characteristics, or treatment-related factors. Seventy per cent defaulted during the continuation phase of treatment. Home visits did not result in contact with the patient (or any other person) 41% of the time. Although 48% of the defaulters remained lost to follow-up at the time of the survey, all but one of the sputum-positive patients had bacteriologically converted by the time of default.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Non-Chinese ethnicity and lack of family support were found to be factors strongly predictive of default. Age, sex, marital and employment status, treatment-related factors and disease characteristics were not significant in distinguishing those at risk for defaulting.
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore.
authors.forename: C B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Chee
authors.forename: I C
authors.initials: IC
authors.lastname: Boudville
authors.forename: S P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: Y K
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Zee
authors.forename: Y T
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010352:Patient Dropouts; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012846:Singapore; D013997:Time Factors; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000188:drug therapy*