Table 5.
Subgroup analyses of reported time delay for TB treatment
| Subgroup | # of studies | Median reduction (95% CI) | I2 | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | ||||
| Pre-2015 | 6 | 5.04 (0.09–9.99) | 99.64% | 0.046 |
| Post-2015 | 12 | 2.54 (0.45–4.62) | 98.86% | 0.017 |
| Empiric treatment rate | ||||
| High ≥ 50% | 12 | 2.64 (0.93–4.35) | 98.34% | 0.002 |
| Low < 50% | 6 | 1.71 (− 4.24 to 7.66) | 98.81% | 0.56 |
| HIV prevalence | ||||
| High ≥ 50% | 12 | 1.09 (− 0.78 to 2.95) | 98.36% | 0.25 |
| Low < 50% | 6 | 4.61 (− 0.79 to 10.00) | 99.50% | 0.09 |
| Healthcare level | ||||
| Primary | 8 | 1.27 (− 1.45 to 4.00) | 99.07% | 0.36 |
| Tertiary | 4 | 5.27 (− 1.06 to 11.60) | 98.87% | 0.1 |
| POCT program | ||||
| POCT | 7 | 3.98 (1.13–6.81) | 99.23% | 0.0061 |
| Lab | 11 | 0.79 (− 2.75 to 4.33) | 99.27% | 0.66 |
| Study design | ||||
| RCT | 5 | 2.85 (1.16–4.55) | 95.44% | 0.001 |
| Observational | 13 | 1.67 (− 1.70 to 5.05) | 99.57% | 0.33 |
| Overall | 21 | 2.55 (0.54–4.56) | 99.31% | 0.013 |
Pre-2015 refer to studies with data from before 2015 when Xpert capacity was limited. For empiric treatment rate and HIV prevalence, 50% or greater was considered to be high
POCT point-of-care testing, RCT Randomized Controlled Trial