An improved record system for tracing outcome of [transferred-out] DOTS patients

Shabbir, Irfan; Iqbal, Ramsha; Anwar, Mohammed; Qadeer, Ejaz; Ahmed, Naveed

doi:10.26719/2011.17.2.88

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…A similar trend was reported by a study conducted in Gondor, Ethiopia [11]. Nevertheless, the objective of this study is not to explore the reason for reporting failures; this implies that there is poorly functioning feedback communication/reporting system [18].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 68%

Characteristics and Treatment Outcomes of “Transfer Out” TB Patients after Crosschecking Registers at Four Hospitals of Tigray Regional State, Ethiopia: 2011-2015

Hailekiros

Abdulkader

Kahsay

2019

Tuberculosis Research and Treatment

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Globally, transferring TB patients to another health unit for treatment continuation is common trend while posing challenges for proper treatment outcomes monitoring. National guidelines indicated the importance of incorporating the treatment outcomes of those cases by the transferring unit when performing annual cohort analysis. However, in most instances, this is not taken into account. This study was conducted to determine the characteristics and treatment outcomes of ‘transfer out’ TB cases during the time period between 2011 and 2015 at four Hospitals of Tigray: Ethiopia. Initial data was extracted from TB treatment logbooks of transferring units using standardize checklist that were followed by a visit to each of the receiving units. The generated data were entered and analyzed using SPSS v. 22.0. Descriptive statistics were computed. P-value less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. A total of 143 TB patients were transferred out during the specified time period whereas 73.4% (105/143) patients were traced and classified as “arrivals”. From these, more than three-quarters, 87.6% (92/105), of patients had a successful treatment outcome (5.7% cured and 81.9% completed treatment) while 13/105 (12.3%) had an unsuccessful outcome (2.8% defaulted, 5.7% died, 1.9% failed, and 1.9% transferred out). However, none of the transferring unit received and traced status of the cases. Therefore, regular monitoring is needed to improve the existing communication gap.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 68%

Characteristics and Treatment Outcomes of “Transfer Out” TB Patients after Crosschecking Registers at Four Hospitals of Tigray Regional State, Ethiopia: 2011-2015

Hailekiros

Abdulkader

Kahsay

2019

Tuberculosis Research and Treatment

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“…This suggests that TB reporting systems might not function optimally with regard to communication on treatment outcome of transferred patients. Reasons for this were unclear but it could be due to unawareness of the need for the procedure, negligence, expecting the other to report, and/or lack of communication modalities [ 24 ]. Lack of clear guidance and communication between referring and accepting DOTS clinics requires evaluation and immediate attention.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Efficient counseling and follow-up of transferred-out patients are mandatory to avoid poor treatment outcomes. Developing clear guidance on how to trace and report transferred-out cases is essential to avoid spillover of TB and MDR-TB [ 24 ]. Telecommunication facilities are an area in need of improvement as many of the DOT clinics lack this.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characteristics and Treatment Outcomes of “Transfer-Out” Pulmonary Tuberculosis Patients in Gondar, Ethiopia

Belayneh

Kassu

Tigabu

et al. 2016

Tuberculosis Research and Treatment

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Background. During tuberculosis treatment, patients may transfer to continue treatment at another health facility. To ensure adherence until treatment completion, keeping track of patients is paramount. This study aimed to investigate treatment outcomes of patients who transferred out from the University of Gondar Hospital. Methods. This was a retrospective cohort evaluation of patients registered from 2009 to 2013. Treatment outcomes were collected from the TB registers of receiving units using a standardized data capture format. Results. During the study period 3,707 patients initiated treatment and 47.5% (1,760) transferred out. The study evaluated the outcome of 26% (457/1,760) patients, of whom 403 (88%) arrived in the receiving units. Overall, 79% were successfully treated and 13.8% transferred out for a second time. For all transferred-out cases, treatment outcomes were not reported to the referring unit. Conclusion and Recommendation. About half of the patients were transferred out to complete treatment elsewhere. Although successful treatment outcome was obtained in 79% of patients, these results were not fed back to the referring unit. Implementing a clear mechanism to communicate the arrival of and treatment outcome for transfer-out patients and appropriate patient education on treatment unit selection before treatment and during transfer-out are recommended.

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Transfer of primary care patients receiving chronic care: the next step in the continuum of care

Odayar

Myer

2019

International Health

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The burden of chronic conditions is increasing rapidly in low- and middle-income countries. Chronic conditions require long-term and continuous care, including for patients transferring between facilities. Patient transfer is particularly important in the context of health service decentralization, which has led to increasing numbers of primary care facilities at which patients can access care, and high levels of migration, which suggest that patients might require care at multiple facilities. This article provides a critical review of existing evidence regarding transfer of stable patients receiving primary care for chronic conditions. Patient transfer has received limited consideration in people living with HIV, with growing concern that patients who transfer are at risk of poor outcomes; this appears similar for people with TB, although studies are few. There are minimal data on transfer of patients with non-communicable diseases, including diabetes. Patient transfer for chronic conditions has thus received surprisingly little attention from researchers; considering the potential risks, more research is urgently required regarding reasons for and outcomes of transfers, transfer processes and interventions to optimize transfers, for different chronic conditions. Ultimately, it is the responsibility of health systems to facilitate successful transfers, and this issue requires increased attention from researchers and policy-makers.

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An improved record system for tracing outcome of [transferred-out] DOTS patients

Cited by 3 publications

References 0 publications

Characteristics and Treatment Outcomes of “Transfer Out” TB Patients after Crosschecking Registers at Four Hospitals of Tigray Regional State, Ethiopia: 2011-2015

Characteristics and Treatment Outcomes of “Transfer Out” TB Patients after Crosschecking Registers at Four Hospitals of Tigray Regional State, Ethiopia: 2011-2015

Characteristics and Treatment Outcomes of “Transfer-Out” Pulmonary Tuberculosis Patients in Gondar, Ethiopia

Transfer of primary care patients receiving chronic care: the next step in the continuum of care

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