Abstract:

Objective: This study aimed to provides evidence for community tuberculosis management models by comparing relevant data on clinical characteristics of pulmonary tuberculosis patients who had signed up for family doctors with those who had not. Methods: A total of 1479 cases of pulmonary tuberculosis patients registered in the “Tuberculosis Management Information System” from January 2022 to December 2023 in Haizhu District of Guangzhou were selected as the study subjects. Among them, the management group consisted of 844 cases (57.06%) who had signed up and received family doctor services, while the control group consisted of 635 cases (42.94%) who had not signed up for family doctor services. The demographic and clinical characteristics information of the two groups were collected and compared. Results: The average age of the management group was (48.48±18.38) years, which was significantly lower than that of the control group ((50.73±18.91) years, t=-2.303, P=0.021). The floating population, the focus range ≥3 lung fields, cavities, diabetes, and hyperuricemia in the management group accounted for 54.27% (458/844), 58.65% (495/844), 32.11% (271/844), 12.56% (106/844), and 8.18% (69/844), which were significantly higher than those in the control group (48.50% (308/635), 48.50% (308/634), 26.93% (171/635), 8.98% (57/635), and 3.78% (24/635); χ² values were 9.638, 15.030, 4.640, 4.744 and 11.883, respectively; all Ps<0.05). The proportions of patients with hypertension, concomitant tumors, adverse drug reactions, and initial hospitalization in the management group were 6.40% (54/844), 3.32% (28/844), 10.90% (92/844), and 27.49% (232/844), respectively, which were significantly lower than those in the control group (10.71% (68/635), 5.51% (35/635), 15.12% (96/635), and 36.22% (230/635), respectively; χ² values were 8.896, 4.278, 5.809, and 12.864, respectively; all Ps<0.05). Conclusion: There is a significant correlation between family doctor contract services and the clinical characteristics of tuberculosis patients, which provides important reference and guidance for further improvement in the medical management of tuberculosis patients.

Key words: Tuberculosis, pulmonary, Home care services, hospital-based, Case management, Disease attributes