title: 'Transfer out' tuberculosis patients: treatment outcomes after cross-checking registers, 2012-2013, Lusaka, Zambia.
abstract: METHODS
  Lusaka, Zambia.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess the actual treatment outcomes of 'transfer out' (TO) cases at a diagnostic centre in Lusaka, in the third and fourth quarters of 2012, and to see the impact of this cross-check in treatment success rates (TSR) in 2013 and early 2014.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this retrospective cohort study, treatment outcomes for new bacteriologically positive tuberculosis (TB) cases referred from the diagnostic centre were reviewed and compared with those at the receiving treatment units.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 49 (58%) cases referred to three treatment units, the treatment outcomes of nine had to be updated at the diagnostic centre, which reduced the proportion of TO cases from 17.6% to 11.8% and increased the TSR to 70.6% from 64.7%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The review and cross-checking of the TB registers at the diagnostic and treatment units led to a significant reduction in non-assessed cases, suggesting that the TB registers in the diagnostic and treatment units should be cross-checked regularly. There is also need for a complementary intervention to reduce the proportion of TOs associated with high loss to follow-up and non-evaluated TO rates.
authors.affiliation: Japan Anti-Tuberculosis Association-Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Mfungwe
authors.affiliation: Japan Anti-Tuberculosis Association-Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ota
authors.affiliation: Japan Anti-Tuberculosis Association-Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Koyama
authors.affiliation: Lusaka District Community Health Office, Lusaka, Zambia.
authors.forename: G K V
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: Samungole
authors.affiliation: Japan Anti-Tuberculosis Association-Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takemura
authors.affiliation: Japan Anti-Tuberculosis Association-Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hirao
authors.affiliation: Lusaka District Community Health Office, Lusaka, Zambia.
authors.forename: Q
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Mwamba
keywords: epidemiology; transfer out; treatment outcomes; tuberculosis