Barriers and Delays in Tuberculosis Diagnosis and Treatment Services: Does Gender Matter?

Figure 2

Conceptual framework illustrating barriers and delays that limit access to TB diagnostic and treatment services. The figure illustrates the conceptual framework of the tuberculosis (TB) care continuum from symptom onset to treatment initiation that we used to define barriers and delays that limit access to TB diagnostic and treatment services at the individual and provider/system levels. Individual-level barriers impact access to TB services along the full continuum of TB care, and provider-/system-level barriers impact access to TB services from patient presentation to any health care provider through TB treatment initiation. Barriers may contribute to delays between each step along the TB care continuum. Accordingly, we define individual-level delay as the delay between symptom onset and presentation to any health care provider; provider/system delay as the delay between presentation to any health care provider and diagnosis, the delay between presentation to any health care provider and treatment initiation or the delay between diagnosis and treatment initiation; and combined individual/provider/system delay as the delay between symptom onset and diagnosis or the delay between symptom onset and treatment initiation.