Table 2. Intervals for Patients Ultimately Diagnosed with TB disease, From Entry to Health System to Eventual TB Diagnosis and Treatment Initiation in Nunavut, Canada.
| Interval prior to diagnosis | Average Days | Range | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| IQALUIT | |||
| Interval between ordering CXR and result provided to doctor | 1.5 | 1.1, 1.9 | Personal communication Van Dyk |
| Interval between obtaining 3 spontaneous sputum samples and lab stamp in Iqaluit | 7 | 5.3, 8.8 | Personal communication, Alvarez and DeMaio |
| Interval between obtaining 3 sputum samples via induction in Iqaluit and lab stamp in Iqaluit | 3 | 2.3, 3.8 | Personal communication, Alvarez and DeMaio |
| Interval between sending out all 3 sputum samples from Iqaluit to smear result and first dose of meds when required (regardless of setting) | 7.7 | 5.8, 9.6 | [6] |
| Interval between sending out 3 sputum samples from Iqaluit to culture result and first dose of meds when required (regardless of setting) | 37.1 | 27.8, 46.4 | [6] |
| REMOTE COMMUNITY | |||
| Interval between ordering CXR and result provided to doctor | 4 | 3.0, 5.0 | Personal communication Van Dyk |
| Interval between obtaining 3 spontaneous sputum samples and lab stamp in Iqaluit (2 extra days added for shipment of sample to Iqaluit) | 9 | 6.8, 11.3 | Personal communication, Alvarez and DeMaio |
| Interval in remote communities if spontaneous sputum cannot initially be obtained (2nd attempt after 2 weeks is assumed to be successful) | 14 | 10.5, 17.5 | Assumption |
| XPERT®MTB/RIF | |||
| Interval between obtaining single sputum sample (either spontaneous or induced) for Xpert®MTB/RIF and lab stamp in Iqaluit | 1 | 0.8, 1.3 | Assumes one day for collection of single sample to use for Xpert®MTB/RIF |
| Interval between obtaining single sputum sample for Xpert®MTB/RIF and lab stamp in remote community | 3 | 2.3, 3.8 | Assumes one day for collection of single sample to use for Xpert®MTB/RIF, plus 2 days travel |
| Interval between lab stamp of receipt of single sputum sample to Xpert result and first treatment doses (if needed) in I Iqaluit | 1.8 | 1.4, 2.3 | [6] |
| Interval between lab stamp of receipt of single sputum sample to Xpert result and first treatment dose (if needed) in remote community (2 extra days added for shipment of sample to Iqaluit) | 3.8 | 2.9, 4.8 | Assumption |
| MISSED CASE | |||
| Interval associated with missing a case | 60 | 45.0, 75.0 | Assumption |
FOOTNOTE: Table shows the average number of days taken to complete each activity, according to information obtained from Nunavut sources, or assumption when no estimate available.