Missed opportunities in TB diagnosis: a TB process-based performance review tool to evaluate and improve clinical care.

BACKGROUND: Traditional tuberculosis (TB) treatment outcome measures, such as cure rate, do not provide insight into the underlying reasons for missing clinical targets. We evaluated a TB Process-Based Performance Review (TB-PBPR) tool, developed to identify "missed opportunities" for timely and accurate diagnosis of TB. The tool enables performance assessment at the level of process and quality of care. METHODS: The TB-PBPR tool is a single-page structured flow-sheet that identifies 14 clinical actions (grouped into elicited symptoms, clinical examination and investigations). Medical records from selected deceased patients were reviewed at two South African mine hospitals (A = 56 cases; B = 26 cases), a South African teaching hospital (C = 20 cases) and a UK teaching hospital (D = 13 cases). RESULTS: In hospital A, where autopsy was routine, TB was missed in life in 52% (23/44) of cases and was wrongly attributed as the cause of death in 16% (18/110). Clinical omissions were identified at each hospital and at every stage of clinical management. For example, recording of chest symptoms was omitted in up to 39% of cases, sputum smear examination in up to 85% and chest radiograph in up to 38% of cases respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This study introduces the TB-PBPR tool as a novel method to review and evaluate clinical performance in TB management. We found that simple clinical actions were omitted in many cases. The tool, in conjunction with a manual describing best practice, is adaptable to a range of settings, is educational and enables detailed feedback within a TB programme. The TB-PBPR tool and manual are both freely available for general use.

Association of isoniazid preventive therapy with lower early mortality in individuals on antiretroviral therapy in a workplace programme.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the association between isoniazid preventive therapy (IPT) and mortality among individuals starting antiretroviral therapy (ART) in a workplace programme in South Africa where tuberculosis (TB) incidence is very high. METHODS: ART-naive individuals starting ART from January 2004 to December 2007 were followed for up to 12 months. Deaths were ascertained from clinic and human resource data. The association between IPT and mortality was assessed using Cox regression. RESULTS: A total of 3270 individuals were included (median age 45; 93% men; median baseline CD4 cell count 155 cells/µl (interquartile range 87-221); and 45% with WHO stage 3/4]. Nine hundred twenty-two (28%) individuals started IPT either prior to or within 3 months of starting ART. Individuals who started IPT tended to have less advanced HIV disease at ART initiation. Two hundred fifty-nine (7.9%) deaths were observed with overall mortality rate 8.9 per 100 person-years [95% confidence interval (CI) 7.9-10.6]. The unadjusted mortality rate was lower among those who received IPT compared with those who did not [3.7/100 vs. 11.1/100 person-years, respectively, hazard ratio 0.34 (95% CI 0.24-0.49)]; this association remained after adjustment for age, baseline CD4 cell count, baseline WHO stage, year of ART start, and individual company (hazard ratio 0.51, 95% CI 0.32-0.80). In sensitivity analyses restricted to those with no previous history of TB (n = 3036) or with no TB symptoms at ART initiation (n = 2251), IPT remained associated with reduced mortality [adjusted hazard ratios 0.51 (95% CI 0.32-0.81) and 0.48 (95% CI 0.24-0.96), respectively]. CONCLUSION: Mortality was lower among individuals receiving IPT with or prior to ART start. These results support routine use of IPT in conjunction with ART.