Successful tuberculosis treatment outcome in East Gojjam zone, Ethiopia: cross-sectional study design

Abstract

Introduction: Ill health is one of the natural phenomena that can happen to human beings at any time due to either communicable or non-communicable diseases. Tuberculosis (TB) is one of those communicable diseases caused by the bacillus Mycobacterium tuberculosis which can be transmitted through droplet nuclei while coughing, sneezing, shouting, or singing. Infection with tuberculosis negatively affects the productive segment of the economy, resulting in a reduction in national productivity. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommended early case detection, accurate diagnosis, and standardized treatment as a means to prevent new infections. In Ethiopia, detecting TB cases early, diagnosing, and treating these cases as per the guideline has been practiced for years through the Directly Observed Treatment Shortcourse (DOTS) program which was started in 1997. Various researches on TB treatment outcomes and their predictors have been done in Ethiopia. However, almost all of the findings vary from each other even though the country has a standardized definition of the outcomes and data aggregation tools. Moreover, none of the findings and reports showed the magnitude of successful TB treatment outcomes in the study area.
Objective: This research was intended to assess the prevalence of successful TB treatment outcomes among patients enrolled in a DOTS program in the east Gojjam zone, northwest Ethiopia.
Result: Eighty six percent (86%) of all cases enrolled in the DOTS program were successfully treated in the East Gojjam zone, and sex, place of residence, educational status, smear result during entry to the DOTS program, and HIV test result were factors significantly affecting successful TB treatment outcomes in the study area.
Conclusion and Recommendation: The magnitude of successful TB treatment outcome of this study is low compared to the national strategic plan. It is advisable to work on the identified factors to positively affect successful TB treatment outcomes in the study area.