Status and influencing factors of treatment delay of rifampicin resistant tuberculosis patients, Guizhou, 2016-2022.

Objective This study assesses the status and determinants of treatment delays among patients with rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis (RR-TB) in Guizhou Province, 2016-2022, aiming to inform the development of RR-TB control strategies in the region. Methods Data on RR-TB patients from 2016 to 2022 were extracted from the "Tuberculosis Management Information System," a subsystem of the "China Disease Prevention and Control Information System." The trend in treatment delay rates over time was analyzed using Trend chi-square test, while logistic regression models were used to examine the factors influencing these delays. Results From 2016 to 2022, Guizhou Province reported 513 cases of treatment delays among patients with rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis (RR-TB), resulting in a treatment delay rate of 23.29%. The rate of treatment delays decreased from 2016 to 2019 (Trend chi-square test = 9.099, P = 0.003), reaching its lowest in 2018 at 10.53%. However, from 2020 to 2022, the rate of treatment delays exhibited an upward trend (Trend chi-square test = 5.937, P = 0.015), peaking in 2021 at 31.62%. Multivariable analysis indicated that compared to migrant populations, patients undergoing initial treatment, and those tested with molecular biological drug sensitivity tests, non-migrant patients (OR = 1.496, 95%CI = 1.198 to 1.867), new patients (OR = 1.774, 95%CI = 1.344 to 2.342), patients with relapse (OR = 1.494, 95%CI = 1.110 to 2.011), and those tested using traditional drug sensitivity methods (OR = 2.985, 95%CI = 2.323 to 3.834) were at higher risk for treatment delays. Conclusion From 2016 to 2022, the overall trend of treatment delays in rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis (RR-TB) patients in Guizhou Province showed a decline. However, there was an increasing trend during the COVID-19 pandemic. This suggests a need to enhance the prevention and control of drug-resistant tuberculosis in key areas such as Bijie City. There is also a need to intensify health education for patients with drug resistance, implement patient-centered care systems for those patients, expand the application of molecular biological drug sensitivity testing techniques, and strengthen the referral and admission mechanisms for RR-TB patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]