High variability in tuberculosis treatment outcomes across 15 health facilities in a semi-urban area in central Ethiopia

BACKGROUND: Despite reported tuberculosis (TB) treatment success rate of 86%, TB remains a leading cause of death in Ethiopia. We investigated patient and provider-specific factors associated with unfavorable treatment outcomes in Ethiopian health facilities providing TB care. METHODS: Data on characteristics and treatment outcomes of patients registered for TB treatment at 15 public health facilities (4 hospitals and 11 health centres) were collected from clinic registers. Proportions of unfavorable outcomes (defined as deaths, loss-to-follow-up [LTFU] and treatment failure), were compared across facilities using multivariable logistic regression, with separate analyses for death and LTFU. RESULTS: Among 3359 patients (53.5 % male, median age 28 years, 19.6 % HIV-positive), 296 (8.8 %) had unfavorable treatment outcome. Proportions of unfavorable outcomes across facilities ranged from 2.0 % to 21.1 % (median 8.3 %). Median proportions of death and LTFU among facilities were 3.3 % (range 0–10.9 %) and 2.6 % (range 0.6 %-19.2 %), respectively. Three facilities had significantly higher rates of LTFU, whereas two facilities had higher rates of death. The two facilities with full-time TB-nurses had higher proportions of successful outcomes (95.2 % vs 90.1 %, adjusted odds ratio 2.27, p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Substantial variability of TB treatment outcomes was observed across the assessed health facilities providing TB care, independently of age and HIV co-infection, reflecting possible differences in service structure and related quality of care.