Research Article
Patient and Doctor Delays in Smear-Negative and Smear-Positive Pulmonary Tuberculosis Patients Attending a Referral Hospital in Istanbul, Turkey
Table 4
Possible reasons for patient and doctor delay.
| Reason | Group 1 | Group 2 | | % | | % |
| Patient delay | | | | | Neglect of symptoms by the patient | 10 | 55.6 | 19 | 63.3 | Distance to health center | 2 | 11.1 | 2 | 6.7 | Sociocultural factors | 2 | 11.1 | 6 | 20 | Economic status | 2 | 11.1 | 2 | 6.7 | Other | 2 | 11.1 | 1 | 3.3 | Total | 18 | 100 | 30 | 100 | Doctor delay | | | | | Underutilized or delayed sputum examinations | 31 | 41.9 | 15 | 25.4 | A low index of suspicion for tuberculosis | 27 | 36.5 | 18 | 30.5 | Reasons associated with patient | 8 | 10.8 | 7 | 11.8 | Reasons associated with laboratory system | 5 | 6.8 | 8 | 13.6 | Reasons associated with health care system | 3 | 4 | 8 | 13.6 | Other | — | — | 3 | 5.1 | Total | 74 | 100 | 59 | 100 |
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