Authors: Harries, A.D.¹; Rusen, I.D.²; Chiang, C-Y.²; Hinderaker, S.G.²; Enarson, D.A.²

Source: The International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, Volume 13, Number 7, July 2009 , pp. 801-803(3)

Publisher: International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease

Abstract:

This Unresolved Issues article highlights three original articles that appeared last year in the Journal discussing the phenomenon of initial defaulters. There are three important challenges with patients that appear in the laboratory sputum register but are not recorded in the tuberculosis (TB) patient register: the first is how to identify these patients, trace them and get them on to treatment as soon as possible; the second is how to register and report on these cases as part of the case-finding component of TB control; and the third is whether to include these initial default patients in the cohort analysis of treatment outcomes. We recommend a step-wise approach to these challenges and advocate that these patients be included, wherever possible, in the TB patient register and in the cohort analysis of treatment outcomes.

Keywords: initial defaulters; tuberculosis; registration; treatment outcomes

Document Type: Editorial

Affiliations: 1: International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, Paris, France; London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK 2: International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, Paris, France

Publication date: 2009-07-01

More about this publication?

• The International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease publishes articles on all aspects of lung health, including public health-related issues such as training programmes, cost-benefit analysis, legislation, epidemiology, intervention studies and health systems research. The IJTLD is dedicated to the continuing education of physicians and health personnel and the dissemination of information on tuberculosis and lung health world-wide.

  Certain IJTLD articles are selected for translation into French, Spanish, Chinese or Russian. They are available on the Union website

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