Determinants of patient delay in seeking treatment among pulmonary tuberculosis cases in a government specialist hospital in Ibadan, Nigeria

Abstract

Patients delay in seeking care increases the transmission of pulmonary tuberculosis and hence the burden of the disease. This study investigates the pattern and determinants of patients delay in seeking treatment among pulmonary tuberculosis cases attending a Government Chest Clinic in Ibadan, Nigeria. A descriptive cross sectional study was employed. A face to face interview of 102 newly diagnosed tuberculosis patients at the clinic was conducted using a structured questionnaire. The mean age of respondents was 45.4 ±13.5 years and 61(59.8%) were females. The overall median delay in seeking treatment among study subjects was 60 days (range 3 to 180 days), with 61.8% patients delaying for more than 30 days. Binary logistic regression model showed that female sex (OR=5.3), place of residence (OR=3.9), outside Ibadan vs. within Ibadan), age group >45 vs. ≤45 years (OR=2.4) and reported stigma (OR=7.6) were significantly associated with longer patients delay. The results showed that delay among patients in seeking care is common and some groups of patients may be experiencing problems in seeking care in our environment.