title: Perceptions of Private Medical Practitioners on Tuberculosis Notification: A Study from Chennai, South India.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The Government of India declared TB as a notifiable disease in 2012. There is a paucity of information on the government's mandatory TB notification order from the perspective of private medical practitioners (PPs).
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To understand the awareness, perception and barriers on TB notification among PPs in Chennai, India.
  
  
  METHODS
  Total of 190 PPs were approached in their clinics by trained field staff who collected data using a semi-structured and pre-coded questionnaire after getting informed consent. The data collected included PPs' specialization, TB management practices, awareness about the TB notification order, barriers in its implementation and their suggestions to improve notification.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 190 PPs from varied specializations, 138 (73%) had diagnosed TB cases in the prior three months, of whom 78% referred these patients to government facilities. Of 138 PPs, 73% were aware of the order on mandatory TB notification, of whom 46 (33%) had ever notified a TB case. Of 120 PPs, 63% reported reasons for not notifying TB cases. The main reasons reported for not notifying were lack of time (50%), concerns regarding patients' confidentiality (24%) and fear of offending patients (11%). Of 145 PPs, 76% provided feedback about information they felt uncomfortable reporting during notification. PPs felt most uncomfortable reporting patient's government-issued Aadhar number (77%), followed by patient's phone number (37%) and residential address (26%). The preferred means of notification was through mobile phone communication (24%), SMS (18%) and e-mail (17%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study highlights that one-fourth of PPs were not aware of the TB notification order and not all those who were aware were notifying. While it is important to sensitize PPs on the importance of TB notification it is also important to understand the barriers faced by PPs and to make the process user-friendly in order to increase TB notification.
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis (formerly Tuberculosis Research Centre), ICMR, Chennai, India.
authors.forename: Beena Elizabeth
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis (formerly Tuberculosis Research Centre), ICMR, Chennai, India.
authors.forename: Banurekha
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Velayutham
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis (formerly Tuberculosis Research Centre), ICMR, Chennai, India.
authors.forename: Kannan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Thiruvengadam
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis (formerly Tuberculosis Research Centre), ICMR, Chennai, India.
authors.forename: Dina
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Nair
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Research in Tribal Health, ICMR, Jabalpur, India.
authors.forename: Sukendu Bikas
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Barman
authors.affiliation: Corporation of Chennai, Chennai, India.
authors.forename: Lavanya
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jayabal
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis (formerly Tuberculosis Research Centre), ICMR, Chennai, India.
authors.forename: Senthanro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ovung
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Research & Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Soumya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Swaminathan
mesh_terms: D018563:Disease Notification; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006291:Health Policy; D007194:India; D019221:Mandatory Reporting; D010465:Perception; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D011331:Private Practice; D014342:Truth Disclosure; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology
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