title: Factors affecting patient delay of diagnosis and completion of Direct Observation Therapy, Short-course (DOTS) among the migrant population in Shandong, China.
abstract: In China, the epidemiological and socioeconomic status of the migrant population suggests that the vulnerable population should be prioritized for tuberculosis (TB) control. A face-to-face interview using a structured questionnaire was performed on a total of 314 smear-positive pulmonary TB patients among the migrant population of 12 randomly selected counties in Shandong Province, China. From the results, the cases of patient delay of diagnosis accounted for 40.8%, and the completion rate of Direct Observation Therapy, Short-course (DOTS) was as low as 67.2%. There were 47.1% missed cases in the first diagnosis. Factors affecting detection and treatment were present in their socioeconomic status, working style, and the accessibility to related TB care. The findings indicated that migrant TB patients suffer delayed diagnosis, a low case detection rate and a low completion DOTS rate. Improvement of migrants' working conditions and accessibility to specialized TB care is essential and is expected to lead to better case detection and treatment completion.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Management and Maternal and Child Healthcare, School of Public Health, Shandong University, Ji'nan, China.
authors.forename: Ruoyan Gai
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Tobe
authors.forename: Lingzhong
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Chengchao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Geng
authors.forename: Xingzhou
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D023801:Directly Observed Therapy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014171:Transients and Migrants / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*