Ensuring accountability: the contribution of the cohort review method to tuberculosis control in New York City
METHODS: The Bureau Director reviews every tuberculosis (TB) case quarterly in a multi-disciplinary staff meeting. In 2004 we also began collecting details on issues identified at cohort review to quantify how this process directly impacts TB control efforts.
RESULTS: From 1992 to 2004, NYC TB cases decreased by 72.7% and treatment success rates significantly increased by 26.7%. Implementing the cohort review was key to improving case management, thus leading to these results. For the 1039 patients in 2004, 596 issues were identified among 424 patients; 55.0% were incorrect, unclear or unknown patient information, 13.8% were treatment issues, 12.4% were case management issues and 10.6% were incomplete contact investigations. Most (76.5%) issues were addressed within 30 days of the cohort reviews.
CONCLUSION: A systematic review of every TB case improves the quality of patient information, enhances patient treatment and ensures accountability at all levels of the TB control program.
Keywords: patient management; program evaluation; treatment success; tuberculosis
Document Type: Regular Paper
Affiliations: 1: New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, New York, New York, USA; and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA 2: New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, New York, New York, USA 3: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA; and The International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, Paris, France
Publication date: 01 October 2006
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