Comparison of Overnight Pooled and Standard Sputum Collection Method for Patients with Suspected Pulmonary Tuberculosis in Northern Tanzania

Table 2

Comparison of overnight pooled and spot method of collection on quality and quantity of sputum.

Measure	Combination of spot and single morning specimen	Overnight pooled	𝑃 value
Quantity (≥5 mls)	37/100 (37%)	46/50 (92%)	𝑃<0.001
Color	92/100 (92%)	47/50 (94%)	𝑃=0.79
Thick consistency	66/100 (66%)	41/50 (82%)	𝑃=0.12
Presence of blood	11/100 (11%)	6/50 (12%)	𝑃>0.99

^∗𝑃 values are similar if pooled is compared with spot or single morning specimen, thus we combined spot and single for this table.