Determinants of patient delay among tuberculosis cases in Spain.

Background: Patient delay was investigated in a cohort of TB patients identified from May 1996 until April 1997 in 13 Autonomous Regions in Spain. The study covered almost 67% of the total Spanish population.

Methods: Data were collected from clinical records.

Tuberculosis in Spain: epidemiological pattern and clinical practice.

Setting: Thirteen Autonomous Regions in Spain.

Objective: To study the incidence of all forms of tuberculosis (TB) and investigate clinical practice in TB.

Design: Cases of all forms of tuberculosis diagnosed in the study setting from May 1986 to April 1997 were identified though active search of different databases.

Quality control and data-handling in multicentre studies: the case of the Multicentre Project for Tuberculosis Research.

Background: The Multicentre Project for Tuberculosis Research (MPTR) was a clinical-epidemiological study on tuberculosis carried out in Spain from 1996 to 1998. In total, 96 centres scattered all over the country participated in the project, 19935 "possible cases" of tuberculosis were examined and 10053 finally included. Data-handling and quality control procedures implemented in the MPTR are described.