title: A multi-centre study on quality of routine data collection on relapses.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the quality of routine data collection on relapses in leprosy programmes in six countries.
  
  
  METHODS
  Through a questionnaire for project managers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The number of reported relapse cases did not correlate with number of new cases in the individual projects. Even where available, skin smears were not always used for diagnosis of MB cases and relapses. The diagnosis of relapses in the participating projects was exclusively on clinical basis - in 91.8% on the basis of new lesions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Criteria for identification of relapses were not known or not applied in uniform manner in the projects involved in the research.
authors.affiliation: Medical & Scientific Department, AIFO, Italy. sunil.deepak@aifo.it
authors.forename: Sunil
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Deepak
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gazzoli
mesh_terms: D000349:Africa; D001208:Asia; D003625:Data Collection; D006801:Humans; D007917:Leprostatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D056006:Leprosy, Multibacillary / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology; D056005:Leprosy, Paucibacillary / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D007917:Leprostatic Agents