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Number of People with Presumptive TB who Received Diagnostic Testing

References in the content below refer to the PBMEF Guide.

Definitions

Number of people with presumptive TB who received diagnostic testing to confirm or exclude active TB disease during the reporting period.

Diagnostic testing for active TB disease includes smear, culture, and WHO-recommended rapid diagnostics (WRD): FluoroType® MTBDR (Hain), Loopamp™ MTBC detection kit (TB-LAMP), Xpert® MTB/RIF, Xpert® MTB/RIF Ultra, Truenat® MTB or MTB Plus, RealTime MTB (Abbott), BD MAX™ MDR-TB, cobas® MTB (Roche), or LF-LAM.

Numerator

Number of people with presumptive TB who were tested for TB during the reporting period

Denominator

N/A
Ref #
DT_TST
(Previously PS-3)
Tier Level
Project Level Indicators
Category
Reach
Type
Output
Unit of Measure
Number of people
Data Type
Integer
Disaggregations
Age (0–4, 5–14, 15+)
Sex
Type of diagnostic test
Reporting Level
National and subnational
Reporting Frequency
Monthly, quarterly

The data sources are basic management unit TB register, screening register, presumptive TB register, laboratory register, or electronic management information systems available at the health facility and district level

Active case finding (ACF) or targeted systematic screening is an important method to find undiagnosed TB among people in a community. ACF reduces time to diagnosis and initiation of treatment and prevents further spread of the disease. Screening for active TB may reduce TB incidence, prevalence, and mortality; however, yield of ACF interventions varies substantially across populations.

Passive case finding, putting the burden of care seeking for TB on the patient, alone will not achieve the 90% treatment coverage target set out in many national strategic plans (NSPs) and global strategies. In high burden TB settings and among populations with poor access and uptake of TB diagnosis and care, systematic screening of people, particularly those in high risk groups (i.e. HIV positive, contacts, prisoners), at both health facility-based and community based levels are crucial.

To achieve universal access to early accurate diagnosis of TB and enhancing case finding efficiency, identification of people with presumptive TB at the first point of care and linking them to the best available diagnostic tests is essential to program management and strategy of patient centered care.

This indicator measures access to laboratory services and how many of the identified presumptive TB patients get tested for TB in a timely manner using WRD. This is about availability of testing services and accessibility by the community. Cascade analysis of the screening and diagnosis program data will be helpful to highlight the gaps in case finding and steps to take in addressing the barriers. In addition, trend analyses will be appropriate to help the use of information. Additional information can be collected on (1) number who submitted specimens, (2) number of specimens sent to the lab, and (3) number of results reported.

Example charts/graphs:

  • Trends over time and comparisons by risk group, geographic areas and by location (i.e. community-based or facility-based)
  • ACF cascade
    • Number of people eligible for screening
    • Number of people screened for TB
    • Number of people with presumptive TB identified
    • Number of people with presumptive TB tested for TB
    • Number of people with presumptive TB diagnosed with TB
    • Number of people with confirmed TB starting TB treatment
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Changelog

February, 2024: Updated the name, definition, and other information based on the Interim PBMEF Tuberculosis Indicator Compendium.