A Study on Diagnosis and Management of Pulmonary Tuberculosis by Private Practitioners in Bijapur City.

Background: Tuberculosis is an important public health problem in our country. In our country more than 50% of tubercular cases are treated by private practitioners. This study has been taken to assess knowledge, attitude and practice of private practitioners regarding case detection, treatment and follow up. Objective: To study the knowledge, attitude and practice of private practitioners in the diagnosis and management of pulmonary tuberculosis. Methodology: The study was conducted in Bijapur city during Sep- Oct 2011. This study was a cross- sectional study involving 105 private practitioners practicing allopathic or ayurvedic system of medicine. A preformed questionnaire was used to collect the information and data was analyzed using proportions. Results: Majority i.e. 79% of practitioners consider chronic cough and fever for suspecting tuberculosis.40% practitioners consider X-ray and sputum examination for confirmation of TB.26.5% send only one sputum sample for confirmation.53.6% refer the TB case to District Tuberculosis Center.47% practitioners collect information about socio- economic status of patients. Conclusion: The knowledge of practitioners regarding diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis is satisfactory. But there is no measure taken by any practitioners for the follow up of defaulted patients. So improvement is needed in RNTCP training with more emphasis on follow up of patients.