Tuberculosis; patients knowledge, attitude and perceptions

ABSTRACT

Tuberculosis is one of the major public health problems in Pakistan. Pakistan ranks fifth amongst TB high-burden countries worldwide and accounts for 61% of the TB burden in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region. To describe knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions among the patients of pulmonary tuberculosis about their disease attending outpatient department at independent university hospital Faisalabad. A descriptive cross-sectional study. August to September 2014. Out patients department at Independent University Hospital Faisalabad. A total of 197 patients from OPD. Systematic random sampling technique. After an informed consent a pretested questionnaire were used to collect the information from the patient. SPSS-17were used to calculate the frequencies and percentages. Out of 197 respondents were 55.3% [109] male, 44.7% [88] female and 63% [125] were earning below 10000 rupees per month. As for as knowledge is concerned 50% of the patients viewed that TB is transmitted through contact with the patients having tuberculosis, 83%labelled cough of long duration as commonest sign, 60% viewed that it can be prevented by avoiding contact with patients, 57% labeled healthcare staff as their source of information, 65.9% perceived TB as an infectious disease, 55% stress as cause of disease, 85% as not curable disease. Poor knowledge and false perceptions are the main constrain in the control of TB in Pakistan