Care-seeking behaviour among individuals with TB symptoms in Jogjakarta Province, Indonesia: a community-based study

Care-seeking behaviour of individuals with TB symptoms is a critical factor in early detection and treatment. Thorough understanding of determinants of the care-seeking process helps TB programme managers to improve TB case finding. The aim of this study was to assess determinants of care-seeking behaviour among patients with suspected TB at the population level. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among adults with cough for 2 weeks. Data on sociodemographics, onset of TB symptoms, TB knowledge, health facility visited and duration of each visit were collected. Of the 746 respondents interviewed, approximately 10 had not yet sought care. Of those who sought care, less than one-half presented directly to medical healthcare providers. Being female and having multiple symptoms were associated with care-seeking action. The duration of patient delay (i.e. time between onset of symptoms and visiting a health provider) was relatively short, which may be due to the availability of an extended network of healthcare providers in Jogjakarta Province. Being male, a student or self-employed were associated with longer delay in presentation. Patient delay was relatively short. Efforts need to be focused on encouraging individuals with suspected TB to seek appropriate services through health education and quality improvement of health providers.