Quality of symptom elicitation in an epidemiological survey on tuberculosis

Gopi, P G and Subramani, R and Govindaraj, M S (1999) Quality of symptom elicitation in an epidemiological survey on tuberculosis. Indian Journal of Tuberculosis, 46 (4). pp. 261-264. ISSN 0019-5705

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Abstract

The quality of symptom elicited by health workers in an epidemiological survey on tuberculosis was assessed by again subjecting a 10% random sample of the persons interviewed, by the supervisory staff, independently. Three thousand four hundred and forty nine persons were thus interviewed twice. The overall estimates for overdiagnosis and under-diagnosis in the elicitation of symptoms by health workers were to the extent of 16% and 8% respectively, with minimal yield of sputum positivity from the discordant groups of persons. The additional load of 16% for sputum examination can thus be considerably reduced if health workers are well trained in symptom-elicitationscreening of the population and their work is monitored through spot supervisory checks.

Item Type:	Article
URI:	http://eprints.nirt.res.in/id/eprint/485

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