Accessibility and TB patient satisfaction in Nigeria

BACKGROUND Nigeria ranks first in Africa and sixth among countries with a high Tuberculosis burden globally. The increasing incidence of drug resistance following poor treatment adherence among drug-susceptible TB (DS-TB) patients necessitates reviewing TB services in Nigeria. This study explored accessibility and patient-reported experiences in newly established TB treatment facilities. METHODS In this comparative cross-sectional analytic study, we administered the Patient Reported Experience Measure (PREM) questionnaire to 430 patients with DS-TB in 27 public and 18 private newly engaged facilities in Osun, Nigeria. Data were analysed using R Software. RESULTS Private facilities were more accessible ( n = 210, 97.2% vs n = 194, 90.7%; P = 0.004) and offered more satisfactory services ( n = 209, 96.8% vs n = 194, 90.7%; P = 0.009). More patients in public facilities could not afford transportation costs (52.6% vs 35.8%; P = 0.007), and payment for services was higher in private facilities ( P CONCLUSION Private facilities were more accessible and offered more satisfactory services. National TB programmes should decentralise TB services to private facilities and address gaps in public facilities. .