Losses along the tuberculosis sputum sample referral cascade for Mpongwe District, Zambia
African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine
| Field | Value | |
| Title | Losses along the tuberculosis sputum sample referral cascade for Mpongwe District, Zambia | |
| Creator | Nkhoma, Lyson Bwembya, Josphat Chansa, Edwin Kumar, Ramya Thior, Ibou Musonda, Victoria Chongwe, Gershom Mwinga, Alwyn | |
| Description | Background: In resource limited-settings, timely tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis depends upon referral of sputum samples from non-diagnostic to diagnostic facilities for examination. The TB programme data for 2018 suggested losses in Mpongwe District’s sputum referral cascade.Aim: This study aimed to identify the referral cascade stage where loss of sputum specimen occurred.Setting: Primary health care facilities in Mpongwe District, Copperbelt Province, Zambia.Methods: Data were retrospectively collected from one central laboratory and six referring health facilities between January and June 2019, using a paper-based tracking sheet. Descriptive statistics were generated in SPSS version 22.Results: Of the 328 presumptive pulmonary TB patients found in presumptive TB registers at referring facilities, 311 (94.8%) submitted sputum samples and were referred to the diagnostic facilities. Of these, 290 (93.2%) were received at the laboratory, and 275 (94.8%) were examined. The remaining 15 (5.2%) were rejected for reasons such as ‘insufficient sample’. Results for all examined samples were sent back and received at referring facilities. Referral cascade completion rate was 88.4%. Median turnaround time was six days (IQR = 1.8).Conclusion: Losses in the sputum referral cascade for Mpongwe District mainly occurred between dispatch of sputum samples and receipt at diagnostic facility. Mpongwe District Health Office needs to establish a system to monitor and evaluate the movement of sputum samples along the referral cascade to minimize losses and ensure timely TB diagnosis.Contribution: This study has highlighted, at primary health care level for resource limited settings, the stage in the sputum sample referral cascade where losses mainly occur. | |
| Publisher | AOSIS | |
| Date | 2023-02-21 | |
| Identifier | 10.4102/phcfm.v15i1.3710 | |
| Source | African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine; Vol 15, No 1 (2023); 7 pages 2071-2936 2071-2928 | |
| Language | eng | |
| Relation |
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:
https://phcfm.org/index.php/phcfm/article/view/3710/6090
https://phcfm.org/index.php/phcfm/article/view/3710/6091
https://phcfm.org/index.php/phcfm/article/view/3710/6092
https://phcfm.org/index.php/phcfm/article/view/3710/6093
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