The duration and influencing factors of patient delay among pulmonary tuberculosis patients in a high burden area, Thailand

Background Pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) is an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. Although there have been many campaigns and strategies to end tuberculosis across the world for over two decades, it still remains in the top ten causes of death among humankind. Patient delay, the duration between the first onset of any TB-related symptoms and the first visit to any health providers is significantly related to both individual and community level in terms of an increased deaths and new TB cases. This study aimed to explore the duration and influencing factors of patient delay among pulmonary tuberculosis patients in a high burden area, Thailand. Design and methods An explanatory sequential mixed methods design was adopted to discover the factors influencing patient delay which included two phases. In terms of quantitative phase, a descriptive cross-sectional design was addressed to identify the duration and influencing factors. The data were collected by surveys with a structured questionnaire among new 300 PTB patients. Descriptive statistics were used to describe information by percentage, distribution, mean, standard deviation, median, minimum and maximum. Inferential statistics ... (continues)