Six key components were identified: diagnosis; timely completion; pending laboratory work/studies; medications; length ≤3 pages; and discharge weight.
Post-diagnostic costs are those incurred from TB diagnosis to completion of treatment.
Overall, it appears that QOL is most negatively affected from time of diagnosis through completion of treatment.
The median time from diagnosis to completion of the study questionnaire was 113 days (interquartile range 94 139 days).
From this group, patients were selected for follow up on the basis of diagnosis and completion of baseline data collection, as described elsewhere [ 18, 19].
Furthermore, we could not link reported outcomes to dental care and prevention, nor could we assess the utility of early diagnosis and completion of treatment.
Surveillance occurred at 3 month intervals for the first 2 years following diagnosis and completion of primary treatment, at 6-month intervals for the subsequent 3 years, and annually, thereafter.
Time from date of diagnosis to completion of the questionnaire was used to categorise participants into either (1) 'newly diagnosed' (questionnaire completed up to 26 weeks from date of diagnosis) or (2) 'follow up' (questionnaire completed 48 weeks or more from date of diagnosis).
The average cost of managing a new smear-positive patient from diagnosis to completion of treatment for each site was calculated by multiplying the average cost of each treatment component by the number of times the cost was incurred according to the site-specific clinic protocols.
Resection of the primary tumor, if not completed at diagnosis, occurred after completion of cycle 4 or 5 and prior to high dose chemotherapy with stem cell rescue (HDC/SCR).
