Comparing patient care seeking pathways in three models of hospital and TB programme collaboration in China
6 sites were selected across 4 provinces with 293 newly treated uncomplicated TB patients being selected
Abstract
Public hospitals in China play an important role in tuberculosis (TB) control. Three models of hospital and TB control exist in China. The dispensary model is the most common one in which a TB dispensary provides both clinical and public health care. The specialist model is similar to the former except that a specialist TB hospital is located in the same area. The specialist hospital should treat only complicated TB cases but it also treats simple cases in practice. The integrated model is a new development to integrate TB service in public hospitals. Patients were diagnosed, treated and followed up in this public hospital in this model while the TB dispensary provides public health service as case reporting and mass education. This study aims to compare patient care seeking pathways under the three models, and to provide policy recommendation for the TB control system reform in China.
This research is supported by the Department for International Development’s COMDIS–HSD Programme which is led by the University of Leeds
Citation
Wei XiaoLin; Zou GuanYang; Jia Yin; Walley, J.; Qiang Sun. Comparing patient care seeking pathways in three models of hospital and TB programme collaboration in China. BMC Infectious Diseases (2013) 13 (1) 93 pp. [DOI: 10.1186/1471-2334-13-93]