Tuberculosis Treatment Completion Rates in Southern New Mexico Colonias.
TB medication completion treatment rates for active TB patients living in impoverished US-Mexico border communities called colonias in southern New Mexico counties are unknown. It might be suspected that residents of colonias have lower completion rates than those living in incorporated and medically more accessible areas. A retrospective record review of closed TB case records from 1993 to 2010 of southern New Mexico border counties, was conducted using a modified version of the New Mexico Department of Health Tuberculosis Targeted Health Assessment/History form (Appendix 1). Study findings reveal that despite their unincorporated status, poorer living conditions and questionable legal status, colonia TB patients had a higher medication completion rate than their non-colonia counterparts. A robust New Mexico TB treatment program contributed to high completion rates with death being the number-one reason for treatment non-completion in both colonia and non-colonias.
Beth-El College of Nursing and Health Sciences, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, CO, USA. mandmholden@yahoo.com.
Maria Arroyo
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8325-8776
MA
Holden
School of Nursing, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, USA.
Kathleen
K
Huttlinger
School of Nursing, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, USA.
Pamela
P
Schultz
School of Nursing, Radford University, Radford, VA, USA.
Iris
I
Mullins
College of Health and Social Services, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, USA.
Sue
S
Forster-Cox
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000995:Antitubercular Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D016208:Databases, Factual; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D055118:Medication Adherence / Q000208:ethnology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009516:New Mexico; D010349:Patient Compliance / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011203:Poverty; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012737:Sex Factors; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D055815:Young Adult; D016903:Drug Monitoring
D000995:Antitubercular Agents
Colonias; New Mexico–Mexico border; Tuberculosis