Characteristics and perspectives of newly diagnosed sputum smear positive tuberculous patients under DOTS strategy in River Nile State – Sudan

Abstract

Setting: Tuberculosis (TB) remains a public health problem in Sudan, with a high prevalence despite the ongoing control efforts. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the socio-economic factors and health seeking behavior of newly diagnosed TB patients and to evaluate the availability, accessibility and patients’ satisfaction with the provided control services in River Nile State (RNS). Design: A descriptive cross-sectional health-facility based study in which 107 newly diagnosed sputum-smear positive pulmonary TB cases were recruited from all TB Management Units (n=16) in RNS. Socio-demographic data, knowledge, health seeking behavior, stigma and patients’ satisfaction were obtained through a questionnaire. Information about TBMUs capacity was collected through a checklist. Results: Most patients were middle aged (56%). Male to female ratio 2.5:1.Most patients (94.4%) were non-employed. Thirty nine (36.4%) of patients were illiterate. Forty five (42.1%) sought health services more than 6 weeks following symptoms onset. Almost all 102(95.3%) patients were not aware of the DOTS strategy and 42(39.3%) recognized accurately the period needed to complete treatment. Patients’ satisfaction with the TBMUs services was high. Conclusion: Pulmonary TB patients in RNS are mostly poor males. DOTS strategy needs to be implemented properly to produce the intended outcomes. Key words: