Patterns of delays in diagnosis amongst patients with smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis at a teaching hospital in Turkey.

In total, 151 newly diagnosed patients with smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis were studied. The mean time from the onset of symptoms to the first visit to a physician was 46.4 days; the mean referral delay was 28.9 days; the mean delay in diagnosis was 2.4 days; and the mean delay in treatment initiation was 0.8 days. There was a delay in consulting a physician by 49% of patients. A low index of suspicion for tuberculosis on the part of the physician and healthcare system and laboratory delays were the most common reasons for delays in diagnosis.