%0 Journal Article
%T Patient Health Seeking Behavior and Choice of Place of Care among Tuberculosis Clients in Selected States in Nigeria
%A Bethrand Odume
%A Aminu Babayi
%A Ogoamaka Chukwuogo
%A Chidubem Ogbudebe
%A Elias Aniwada
%A Egwuma Efo
%A Degu Dare
%A Useni Sani
%A Nkiru Nwokoye
%A Emperor Ubochioma
%A Obioma-Chijioke Akaniro
%A Debby Nongo
%A Rupert Eneogu
%A Temitayo Lagundoye-Odusote
%A Chukwuma Anyaike
%J Journal of Tuberculosis Research
%P 149-161
%@ 2329-8448
%D 2023
%I Scientific Research Publishing
%R 10.4236/jtr.2023.114015
%X <b><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\">Background:</span></b><span style=\"font-family:&quot;\"><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\"> Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major global public health problem. Early
detection and initiation of treatment shortens infectious period and is key to
TB control. A considerable proportion of TB patients presenting with advanced
symptoms suggests delay in seeking care. As TB control programs rely on passive
case finding, TB care-seeking behavior is critical as un-diagnosed cases act as
reservoirs for transmission. This study assessed patient health seeking
behavior and choice of place of care among TB patients in Ni</span><span><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\">geria. </span><b><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\">Methods:</span></b><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\"> This was a pro-gramme
implementation, facility-based cr</span></span><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\">oss-sectional study in 14 states, 92 facilities
across three levels of care. Interviewer-administered semi-structured
questionnaires were used. Information on personal characteristics and health
seeking behavior was collected from June 2020 to December 2021. The analysis
was based on the various healthcare providers where the respondents first
sought care. Data analysis was done </span><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\">using
IBM SPSS and summarized using frequency and percentages. Chi sq</span><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\">uare test
was used for associations of characteristics of patients and choice of place of
care at p &lt; 0.05. </span><b><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\">Results:</span></b><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\"> In all 14 states, distribution of overall
first place of seeking care for TB symptoms w</span></span><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\">as</span><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\">: 7208 (75.8%) health facilities (range 57% to 88%),
while 2294 (24.2%) visited other places including community pharmacist, patent
medicine vendor, traditional/home, un-specified/none. For Health facilities,
the majority were at public facilities 6563 (69.1%) and private 641 (6.7%).
Moreover, 6 states had &gt;20% of respondents who first sought care at PMVs</span><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\">,</span><span style=\"font-family:&quot;\"><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\"> while 3 states (Delta,
Imo, and Rivers) had 10% of respondents who first sought care at Community
Pharmacist. </span><b><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\">Conclusions:</span></b><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\"> Nearly a quarter of people with TB
%K Patient Pathway Analysis
%K TB Patients
%K TB Treatment
%K Healthcare Facility
%U http://www.scirp.org/journal/PaperInformation.aspx?PaperID=130014