Delay in Healthcare-Seeking Behavior and Associated Factors Among Tuberculosis Patients Attending TB Clinic in Hawassa City Health Facilities in Sidamma Regional State, Hawassa Ethiopia, 2022

Abstract

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is a major public health concern throughout the world, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Patient delay in seeking TB care is one impediment to sustainable development goals. There is limited data on patient delays seeking health care in the study area.

Objective: To assess patient delay in health care seeking and associated factors among tuberculosis patients attending TB clinic in Hawassa city health facilities in Sidama region, Hawassa Ethiopia

Methods: An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 196 new pulmonary tuberculosis patients aged > 18 years who enrolled in the intensive phase from March 1, 2022, to April 30, 2022, in selected public health institutions of Hawassa city. All TB patients who were on Anti TB in Hawassa city health facility during the study period were included. Data were collected through pretested and structured questionaries adopted from literature. Descriptive statistics were summarized by a table, graph, proportion, and mean or median with their corresponding measure of data dispersion.

Results: The overall magnitude of patients delay to seeking health care was 70(40.2%) with a median health care seeking delay was 28 days.  Older age [AOR: 0.24; (95% CI;             0.06,0    .88)], underweight [AOR: 2.68; (95%CI: 1.22,5.9)], having larger family member [ AOR:3.69;(95% CI; 1.5                8.9)], smear negative status [AOR:3.9;( 95%;1.3,10   .9)] and having multiple health care contact [AOR: 3.69; (95%CI;1.53,  8.90)] were independent risk factors of patient delay to health care seeking.

Conclusion: This study revealed that a significant proportion of the patients delay for more than 30 days seeking health care. Age, nutritional status, having larger family members, smear-negative status, and having multiple health care contacts were the independent risk factors for patient delay in seeking care. Therefore, raising public awareness levels and improving the diagnostic modality in public health facilities are suggested to reduce delays in diagnoses of tuberculosis.   

Keywords: delay, Hawassa, tuberculos.

DOI: 10.7176/JHMN/114-02

Publication date:March 31^st 2024