Prevalence of multidrug resistance among retreatment pulmonary tuberculosis cases in a tertiary care hospital, Hyderabad, India.

Background: India is one of the high tuberculosis (TB) burden countries in the world. India ranks second in harboring multi drug resistant (MDR)-TB cases. About 50,000 of MDR cases are recorded in retreatment pulmonary TB cases.

Are tuberculosis patients in a tertiary care hospital in Hyderabad, India being managed according to national guidelines?

Setting: A tertiary health care facility (Government General and Chest hospital) in Hyderabad, India.

Objectives: To assess a) the extent of compliance of specialists to standardized national (RNTCP) tuberculosis management guidelines and b) if patients on discharge from hospital were being appropriately linked up with peripheral health facilities for continuation of anti-Tuberculosis (TB) treatment.

Methods: A descriptive study using routine programme data and involving all TB patients admitted to inpatient care from 1(st) January to 30(th) June, 2010.