Patient and doctor delays in smear-negative and smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis patients attending a referral hospital in Istanbul, Turkey.

Objectives: To measure delays from onset of symptoms to initiation of treatment in patients with smear-negative and smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis and to identify reasons for these delays.

Methods: A total of 136 newly diagnosed pulmonary tuberculosis patients were interviewed using a structured questionnaire.

Results: The patients were divided into two groups.