Tuberculosis case detection among HIV positive persons in a hospital in Ethiopia

Abstract

Collaborative TB/HIV management is essential to prevent and treat TB among HIV-positive TB patients, and to ensure that HIV-positive TB patients are detected and treated appropriately. This quantitative, descriptive, contextual study identified problems encountered during the implementation of TB case detection among HIV-positive individuals in one Ethiopian hospital. During December 2012, 300 checklists were completed about HIV-positive patients’ TB/HIV collaborative management, as reflected in their files. Only 60.2% of HIV-positive patients, who should have received Isoniazid preventive treatment (IPT), were placed on this treatment. X-rays and laboratory examinations of sputum samples were not done according to the Ethiopian guidelines. Most TB patients’ initial screening was done by nurses, not doctors, and included only symptom screening without CD4 count considerations. Managers and healthcare personnel should improve IPT, especially for those with early HIV infection and timely effective treatment for those suffering from TB, before complications arise