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. 2016 Mar 24:5:24.
doi: 10.1186/s40249-016-0117-x.

Patients direct costs to undergo TB diagnosis

Rachel M Anderson de Cuevas  1 , Lovett Lawson  2   3 , Najla Al-Sonboli  4 , Nasher Al-Aghbari  5 , Isabel Arbide  6 , Jeevan B Sherchand  7 , Emenyonu E Nnamdi  2 , Abraham Aseffa  8 , Mohammed A Yassin  1   9 , Saddiq T Abdurrahman  10 , Joshua Obasanya  11 , Oladimeji Olanrewaju  2 , Daniel Datiko  12 , Sally J Theobald  1 , Andrew Ramsay  13 , S Bertel Squire  1 , Luis E Cuevas  14
Affiliations

Patients direct costs to undergo TB diagnosis

Rachel M Anderson de Cuevas et al. Infect Dis Poverty. .

Abstract

Background: A major impediment to the treatment of TB is a diagnostic process that requires multiple visits. Descriptions of patient costs associated with diagnosis use different protocols and are not comparable.

Methods: We aimed to describe the direct costs incurred by adults attending TB diagnostic centres in four countries and factors associated with expenditure for diagnosis. Surveys of 2225 adults attending smear-microscopy centres in Nigeria, Nepal, Ethiopia and Yemen. Adults >18 years with cough >2 weeks were enrolled prospectively. Direct costs were quantified using structured questionnaires. Patients with costs >75(th) quartile were considered to have high expenditure (cases) and compared with patients with costs <75(th) quartile to identify factors associated with high expenditure.

Results: The most significant expenses were due to clinic fees and transport. Most participants attended the centres with companions. High expenditure was associated with attending with company, residing in rural areas/other towns and illiteracy.

Conclusions: The costs incurred by patients are substantial and share common patterns across countries. Removing user fees, transparent charging policies and reimbursing clinic expenses would reduce the poverty-inducing effects of direct diagnostic costs. In locations with limited resources, support could be prioritised for those most at risk of high expenditure; those who are illiterate, attend the service with company and rural residents.

Keywords: Access to healthcare; Costs; Ethiopia; Nepal; Nigeria; Tuberculosis; Yemen.

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