Pathways and associated costs of care in patients with confirmed and presumptive tuberculosis in Tanzania: A cross-sectional study

Objective To assess pathways and associated costs of seeking care from the onset of symptoms to diagnosis in patients with confirmed and presumptive tuberculosis (TB). Design Cross-sectional study. Setting District hospital in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Participants Bacteriologically confirmed TB and presumptive TB patients. Primary and secondary outcome measures We calculated distance in metres and visualised pathways to healthcare up to five visits for the current episode of sickness. Costs were described by medians and IQRs, with comparisons by gender and poverty status. Results Of 100 confirmed and 100 presumptive TB patients, 44% of confirmed patients sought care first at pharmacies after the onset of symptoms, and 42% of presumptive patients did so at hospitals. The median visits made by confirmed patients was 2 (range 1-5) and 2 (range 1-3) by presumptive patients. Patients spent a median of 31% of their monthly household income on health expenditures for all visits. The median total direct costs were higher in confirmed compared with presumptive patients (USD 27.4 [IQR 18.7-48.4] vs USD 19.8 [IQR 13.8-34.0], p=0.02), as were the indirect costs (USD 66.9 [IQR 35.5-150.0] vs USD 46.8 [IQR 20.1-115.3], p Conclusions Patients with confirmed TB have complex pathways and higher costs of care compared with patients with presumptive TB, but the costs of the latter are also substantial. Improving access to healthcare and ensuring integration of different healthcare providers including private, public health practitioners and patients themselves could help in reducing the complex pathways during healthcare seeking and optimal healthcare utilisation.