Medical care seeking delay and related factors in pulmonary tuberculosis patients in Chaoyang district, Beijing, 2014–2020

  Objective   To analyze the characteristics and trend of medical care-seeking delay, and related factors in pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) patients in Chaoyang district of Beijing from 2014 to 2020 and provide scientific evidence for the early detection and control of pulmonary TB.

  Methods   The information of pulmonary TB patients registered in Chaoyang from 2014–2020, including age, gender, occupation, current address, date of onset, date of first visit and results of etiological examination, were collected from National Information System for Disease Control and Prevention. The factors associated with the medical care seeking delay in pulmonary TB patients were analyzed by multivariate Logistic regression model.

  Results   The median interval (quartiles) from symptom onset to seeking health care was 9 (0, 33) days in pulmonary TB patients in Chaoyang during 2014–2020, the medical care seeking delay rate was 42.60% (4 269/10 020), and the prevalence of medical care seeking delay showed a downward trend from 2014 to 2020 (trend χ²=111.002, P<0.001). The results from the multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of non-local household registered patients was 1.189 (1.076–1.315); the ORs and 95% CI of retired personnel, students/children outside child care settings, the jobless/unemployed, staff member/teacher/doctor and other occupation were 1.396 (1.149–1.696), 1.282 (1.009–1.628), 1.507 (1.307–1.739), 1.787 (1.532–2.085) and 1.978 (1.558–2.512); the OR and 95% CI of retreated patients was 1.631(1.275–2.088).

  Conclusion   The overall medical care-seeking delay rate in pulmonary TB patients in Chaoyang showed a downward trend. Non-local household registration, being retired personnel, being students/children outside child care settings, being the jobless/unemployed, being staff member/teacher/doctor, and being retreated patients were the risk factors of the medical care-seeking delay in pulmonary TB patients in Chaoyang.