Factors associated with delay in seeking care by tuberculosis patients

• Published in: Revista Brasileira de Enfermagem Vol. 71; no. suppl 1; pp. 646 - 651
• Main Authors: Dantas, Dândara Nayara Azevêdo, Enders, Bertha Cruz, Oliveira, Déborah Raquel Carvalho de, Vieira, Caroline Evelin Nascimento Kluczynic, Queiroz, Ana Angélica Rêgo de, Arcêncio, Ricardo Alexandre
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Brazil Associação Brasileira de Enfermagem 2018
• Subjects: Antibiotics; Behavior; Delayed Diagnosis; Health Services; HIV; Human immunodeficiency virus; Mortality; Nursing; Patient Acceptance of Health Care; Patients; Primary care; Self Medication; Tuberculosis; Variables; Brazil; Rio de Janeiro Brazil
• ISSN: 0034-7167; 1984-0446; 1984-0446
• DOI: 10.1590/0034-7167-2016-0680

To identify social, clinical and behavioral factors of tuberculosis patients that are associated with delay in the search for primary health care. This is a cross-sectional, quantitative study conducted with 56 people on treatment for pulmonary tuberculosis in the city of Natal, in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. The data were collected through a structured instrument. The Chi-square and Fisher tests were applied to test the association between independent and dependent variables (search time). A value of p <0.05 was set as statistically significant. No social or clinical variables were statistically associated with patient delays in the search for primary health care. Among the behavioral variables, self-medication and the first health service sought had a statistically significant association with the time for seeking care (p = 0.020, and p = 0.033, respectively). Self-medication contributes to the delay in the search for primary health care by tuberculosis patients.