Delay in the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis in The Gambia, West Africa: A cross-sectional study.

Objectives: To investigate the pattern of tuberculosis (TB) care initiation and risk factors for TB diagnostic delay in The Gambia.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, adult patients diagnosed with pulmonary TB (pTB) in public facilities in the Greater Banjul Area of The Gambia were consecutively recruited from October 2016 to March 2017. Diagnostic delay was defined as >21 days from the onset of at least one symptom suggestive of pTB to diagnosis.