title: A descriptive study of tuberculosis case finding in private health care facilities in a South Indian district.
abstract: METHODS
  A South Indian district providing anti-tuberculosis services through the Revised National TB Control Programme (RNTCP) and private health care facilities.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To ascertain the profile of tuberculosis (TB) patients diagnosed and/or treated in private health care facilities.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data on TB cases diagnosed and/or treated in all clinical departments of the medical college, 83 nursing homes and RNTCP health care facilities were collected prospectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  About 83% of new TB cases recorded in the private medical college, 47% in nursing homes and 24.5% in RNTCP TB registers were extra-pulmonary. The proportion of retreatment cases was respectively 5.5%, 9.6% and 19.8%. The proportion of males and those in the economically productive age group were similar in the three data sources. About 94% of cases diagnosed in the medical college and 55% in nursing homes were registered for treatment under the RNTCP. About 11% of the smear-positive patients diagnosed in RNTCP were initial defaulters.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The proportion of extra-pulmonary cases was higher in the medical college and nursing homes and that of retreatment cases was lower than in the RNTCP.
authors.affiliation: Epidemiology & Research Division, National Tuberculosis Institute, Bangalore, India.
authors.forename: V K
authors.initials: VK
authors.lastname: Chadha
authors.affiliation: Epidemiology & Research Division, National Tuberculosis Institute, Bangalore, India.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Praseeja
authors.affiliation: Epidemiology & Research Division, National Tuberculosis Institute, Bangalore, India.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.affiliation: Epidemiology & Research Division, National Tuberculosis Institute, Bangalore, India.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.affiliation: Epidemiology & Research Division, National Tuberculosis Institute, Bangalore, India.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Sharada
authors.affiliation: Epidemiology & Research Division, National Tuberculosis Institute, Bangalore, India.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Srivastava
authors.affiliation: Epidemiology & Research Division, National Tuberculosis Institute, Bangalore, India.
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Gowda
authors.affiliation: Epidemiology & Research Division, National Tuberculosis Institute, Bangalore, India.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Magesh
authors.affiliation: Epidemiology & Research Division, National Tuberculosis Institute, Bangalore, India.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.affiliation: Epidemiology & Research Division, National Tuberculosis Institute, Bangalore, India.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Suganthi
authors.affiliation: Epidemiology & Research Division, National Tuberculosis Institute, Bangalore, India.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lakshminarayana
authors.affiliation: Office of the Director, National Tuberculosis Institute, Bangalore, India.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kumar
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000995:Antitubercular Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006268:Health Facilities; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D009735:Nursing Homes; D017149:Private Sector; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012042:Registries; D013183:Sputum / Q000382:microbiology; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000995:Antitubercular Agents