Abstract:
Back ground: Despite the fact that tuberculosis (TB) is both preventable and curable, it is
still the world's greatest infectious cause of morbidity and mortality. Delayed presentation is
a crucial factor in the high prevalence and spread of tuberculosis. Still there is a gap between
case notification and case detection in Ethiopia.
Objective: To assess presumptive TB patient delays in health seeking and associated factors
at public health institutions in Ambo town.
Methods and materials: An institutional-based cross-sectional study design was carried out.
A total of 419 presumptive TB patients were selected by using systematic random sampling
technique and data were collected by using a structured questionnaire. Bi-variable Binary
logistic regression analysis was conducted and variables with P-values < 0.25 were included
in the Multivariable binary logistic regression model. Odds ratio with 95% confidence
interval at p-values < 0.05 in multivariable binary logistic regression analysis factors were
identified as having statistically significant association with the outcome variables.
Results: The study revealed that the median patient delay was 21 day (minimum 7 and
maximum 65 days). Age between 35 to 44 years [AOR = 0.274, 95% CI = 0.085-0.879],
married participants [AOR = 0.290, 95% CI = 0.094-0.893], knowledge about the seriousness
of TB [AOR = 0.394, 95% CI = 0.169-0.920], patients who thought to had TB [AOR =
2.877, 95% CI = 1.422-5.817], paid for transport [AOR = 4.048, 95% CI = 1.931-8.484],
convenient hours [AOR = 0.413, 95% CI =0.198-0.862], Taking any treatment before you
were seeking care for TB[AOR = 0.435,95% CI = 0.222-0.852], and expensiveness of health
care seeking cost [AOR = 0.351, 95% CI = 0.170-0.721] were factors significantly associated
with TB patient delay.
Conclusion and recommendation: The magnitude of patient delay among presumptive TB
in study area was high. To improve the patient delay it is important that to facilitate and
strengthen interventions such as health promotion and education in all TB programs and
Health institutions
