Time to commencement of effective treatment in patients with drug-resistant tuberculosis diagnosed in the Torres Strait / Papua New Guinea cross-border region

IntroductionDelays between self-reported symptom onset and commencement of effective treatment contribute to ongoing tuberculosis (TB) transmission, which is a particular concern in patients with drug-resistant (DR)-TB. We assessed improvements in time to commencement of effective treatment in patients diagnosed with DR-TB in the Torres Strait / Papua New Guinea cross-border region. MethodsAll laboratory-confirmed DR-TB cases diagnosed in the Torres Strait between 1 March 2000 and 31 March 2020 were reviewed. We assessed the total time from self-reported onset of symptoms to effective treatment commencement in different programmatic time periods. Pairwise analyses and time to event proportional hazard calculations were used to explore the association between delays in median time to effective treatment, and selected variables. Data were further analysed to examine predictors of excessive treatment delay. ResultsThe median number of days from self-reported onset of symptoms to effective treatment commencement was 124 days (interquartile range 51-214) over two decades. Between 2006 and 2012, most (57%) cases exceeded this grand median while the median time to treat in the most recent time period (2016-2020) was significantly reduced to 29 days (p <0.001). Although there was a reduction in the median time to treat with the introduction of Xpert MTB/RIF (135 days pre-Xpert vs 67 days post-Xpert) this was not statistically significant (p 0.07). Establishment of the Torres and Cape TB Control Unit on Thursday Island (2016-2020) was significantly associated with reduced treatment delay, compared to previous TB program period (2000-2005 p <0.04; 2006-2012 p <0.001). ConclusionMinimising TB treatment delay in remote settings like the Torres Strait / Papua New Guinea cross-border region requires effective decentralised diagnosis and management structures. The results of this study suggest that the establishment of the Torres and Cape TB Control Unit on Thursday Island significantly improved time to commencement of effective TB treatment. Possible contributing factors include better TB education, cross-border communication and patient-centred care.