학술논문

Quality of comprehensive assessment among severely ill TB patients referred after triaging in southern India
Document Type
article
Source
Public Health Action, Vol 14, Iss 1, Pp 3-6 (2024)
Subject
tnket
severe tb
clinical assessment
india
assessment quality
operational research
Other systems of medicine
RZ201-999
Language
English
ISSN
2220-8372
Abstract
To reduce TB deaths, Tamil Nadu, a southern Indian state, implemented the first state-wide differentiated TB care strategy starting April 2022. Triage-positive severely ill patients are prioritised for comprehensive assessment and inpatient care. Routine program data during October–December 2022 revealed that documentation of total score after comprehensive assessment was available in only 39%, possibly indicating poor quality of comprehensive assessment. We confirmed this using operational research. The case record form to record comprehensive assessment was used only in 26% and among these, the completeness and correctness in filling out the form were sub-optimal. There is a clear need to enhance the quality of comprehensive assessments.