title: [The outlook of patients with respect to the quality of sputum smears for bacilloscopy in tuberculosis].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  tuberculosis is still one of the most serious health problems in many countries and one important aspect is the effective screening of respiratory symptomatic TB suspects.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  to evaluate the feasibility in the administration of rapid epidemiological surveys for some aspects of sputum smears collection and quality in respiratory symptomatic TB suspects.
  
  
  METHODS
  a previously expert-validated questionnaire was administered to people with respiratory symptoms from January to February 2006 in ten municipalities of Ciudad de la Habana province. For the selection of the respiratory symptomatic suspects, a three-phase cluster sampling was performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  the survey was well accepted by the study population which provided the requested data. Cough persisted for 15,3 days; 87,1% of sputum smears were taken early in the morning and 80% of the studied people considered it as good.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  these findings are acceptable and important for TB surveillance and control in this province and show the usefulness of these surveys.
authors: Instituto de Medicina Tropical Pedro Kouri, Ciudad de La Habana, Cuba.
authors: Yaxsier
authors: Y
authors: de Armas Rodríguez
authors: Luisa
authors: L
authors: Armas Pérez
authors: Edilberto
authors: E
authors: González-Ochoa
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001431:Bacteriological Techniques / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013183:Sputum / Q000382:microbiology*; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000175:diagnosis*; D055815:Young Adult