Treatment Outcomes of Tuberculosis Patients Managed at the Public and Private Dots Facilities in Lagos Nigeria

Setting: Public and private tuberculosis (TB) treatment facilities in Lagos State, Nigeria

Objective: This study compares the treatment outcomes of tuberculosis (TB) patients managed at the public and private treatment facilities in Lagos Nigeria.

Methods: A descriptive comparative cross-sectional study. Four hundred and seventy smear positive adults TB patients were consecutively recruited from 23 public and 11 private directly observed treatment short course (DOTS) facilities and followed up till completion of treatment after which their treatment outcomes were compared.

Results: The prevalence of TB/HIV co-infection among patients managed at the public and private DOTS facilities was 10.0% and 10.7% respectively (P = 0.68). There was no significant difference in the treatment success and defaulter rates of TB patients managed at the public and private DOTS facilities (P > 0.05). Supervision of treatment by a treatment supporter (OR 2.98, 95%CI 1.59 – 5.56) and not interrupting treatment (OR 21.27 95% 8.86 - 51.07) were predictors of treatment success.

Conclusion: Treatment outcomes of TB patients treated at the public and private DOTS facilities were comparable. There is need for strategies to effectively track patients lost to follow up.