Feyisa Jira Wakoya, Kitila Keno Melkamu, Lemu Jiregna Chalchisa, Hunde Megersa Dinku, Hunde Aboma Diriba
Department of Public Health, Institute of Health Sciences, Wollega University, Nekemte, Ethiopia.
Department of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Mettu University, Mettu, Ethiopia.
SAGE Open Med. 2022 Dec 12;10:20503121221142469. doi: 10.1177/20503121221142469. eCollection 2022.
Fear of COVID-19 makes tuberculosis (TB) patients seek health care after complications of the case. This can be the reason for serious illness, increased length of infectiousness, poor treatment outcomes, and economic crisis for families and the health system. Despite this, no study has been conducted in Ethiopia and in other African countries with the factor "fear of COVID-19." Identified preventable factor and other covariates are used to reduce the healthcare-seeking delay.
This study assessed the association of fear of COVID-19 with healthcare-seeking delay among TB patients in Ilu Ababor Zone health facilities, south-western Ethiopia.
A health institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted among TB patients from October 15, 2020, to March 1, 2021. Using a systematic sampling method, 403 TB patients were selected for face-to-face interviews. The association of fear of getting COVID-19 with healthcare-seeking delay was assessed by a chi-square test. Variables with a -value <0.25 in the bi-variable binary logistic regression were entered into the multivariable binary logistic regression model. The level of statistical significance in multivariable binary logistic regression was declared at a -value <0.05.
In this study, the proportion of patient healthcare-seeking delay was 46.7%. Chi-square test of the association of fear of COVID-19 with healthcare-seeking delay among TB patients showed a significant association (-value = 0.042). After controlling for covariates, patients living in rural area (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 2.437, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.385-4.286), patients with poor knowledge (AOR = 3.300, 95% CI: 1.792-6.078), earning monthly income <200 Ethiopian birr (ETB) (AOR = 3.912 95% CI: 1.951-7.841), traveling greater than 30 min (AOR = 2.127, 95% CI: 1.301-3.476), and fear of COVID-19 pandemic (AOR = 3.124, 95% CI: 1.029-9.479) were significantly associated with patient healthcare-seeking delay.
The study found that healthcare-seeking delay among TB patients was substantial. Patient healthcare-seeking delay was significantly associated with fear of COVID-19.
对新冠病毒病的恐惧使得结核病患者在病情出现并发症后才寻求医疗护理。这可能是导致重病、传染性时长增加、治疗效果不佳以及家庭和卫生系统面临经济危机的原因。尽管如此，埃塞俄比亚以及其他非洲国家尚未针对“对新冠病毒病的恐惧”这一因素开展研究。已确定的可预防因素和其他协变量被用于减少寻求医疗护理的延迟。
本研究评估了埃塞俄比亚西南部伊卢阿巴博尔地区医疗机构中结核病患者对新冠病毒病的恐惧与寻求医疗护理延迟之间的关联。
于2020年10月15日至2021年3月1日在结核病患者中开展了一项基于卫生机构的横断面研究。采用系统抽样方法，选取403名结核病患者进行面对面访谈。通过卡方检验评估对感染新冠病毒病的恐惧与寻求医疗护理延迟之间的关联。双变量二元逻辑回归中P值<0.25的变量被纳入多变量二元逻辑回归模型。多变量二元逻辑回归中的统计学显著性水平设定为P值<0.05。
在本研究中，患者寻求医疗护理延迟的比例为46.7%。结核病患者中对新冠病毒病的恐惧与寻求医疗护理延迟之间的关联的卡方检验显示存在显著关联（P值=0.042）。在对协变量进行控制后，居住在农村地区的患者（调整比值比（AOR）=2.437，95%置信区间（CI）：1.385 - 4.286）、知识水平较差的患者（AOR = 3.300，95% CI：1.792 - 6.078）、月收入低于200埃塞俄比亚比尔（ETB）的患者（AOR = 3.912，95% CI：1.951 - 7.841）、出行时间超过30分钟的患者（AOR = 2.127，95% CI：1.301 - 3.476）以及对新冠病毒病大流行的恐惧（AOR = 3.124，95% CI：1.029 - 9.479）与患者寻求医疗护理延迟显著相关。
该研究发现结核病患者寻求医疗护理的延迟情况较为严重。患者寻求医疗护理的延迟与对新冠病毒病的恐惧显著相关。
