P A LoBue1, R Cass, D Lobo, K Moser, A Catanzaro. 1. Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of California, San Diego Medical Center, 92103-8374, USA. plobue@ucsd.edu
Abstract
STUDY OBJECTIVES: To describe our experience with novel supervised housing programs developed to aid in the treatment of tuberculosis (TB) in homeless individuals, including a preliminary analysis of their effectiveness and estimate of potential cost savings. DESIGN: Retrospective chart review. SETTING: A county TB control program. METHODS: The San Diego County TB Control Program's computer database was used to identify homeless individuals placed in one of two supervised housing programs for treatment of TB [Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA), for noninfectious patients, or Bissell House, for infectious patients]. Charts for all these patients were reviewed and information regarding their demographics, underlying medical conditions, therapy, microbiologic markers of response to therapy, hospitalizations, and participation in supervised housing programs was recorded. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: The sputum culture conversion and treatment completion rates for those housed in the YMCA were 100 and 84.6%, respectively. Of the patients in the Bissell House program, 100% had converted their smear and culture. In addition, all patients in this program completed an adequate course of supervised therapy. These rates of microbiologic conversion and treatment completion compare favorably with historical data from San Diego County and other locations. Estimated cost savings for placing medically stable infectious patients in the Bissell House for respiratory isolation and supervised treatment were estimated to be $27,034 per patient. CONCLUSIONS: Use of supervised housing to aid in treatment of TB in the homeless appears to be effective and results in substantial cost savings. A larger multicenter study should be considered to confirm these findings and better quantify the cost-effectiveness of such programs.
STUDY OBJECTIVES: To describe our experience with novel supervised housing programs developed to aid in the treatment of tuberculosis (TB) in homeless individuals, including a preliminary analysis of their effectiveness and estimate of potential cost savings. DESIGN: Retrospective chart review. SETTING: A county TB control program. METHODS: The San Diego County TB Control Program's computer database was used to identify homeless individuals placed in one of two supervised housing programs for treatment of TB [Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA), for noninfectious patients, or Bissell House, for infectious patients]. Charts for all these patients were reviewed and information regarding their demographics, underlying medical conditions, therapy, microbiologic markers of response to therapy, hospitalizations, and participation in supervised housing programs was recorded. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: The sputum culture conversion and treatment completion rates for those housed in the YMCA were 100 and 84.6%, respectively. Of the patients in the Bissell House program, 100% had converted their smear and culture. In addition, all patients in this program completed an adequate course of supervised therapy. These rates of microbiologic conversion and treatment completion compare favorably with historical data from San Diego County and other locations. Estimated cost savings for placing medically stable infectious patients in the Bissell House for respiratory isolation and supervised treatment were estimated to be $27,034 per patient. CONCLUSIONS: Use of supervised housing to aid in treatment of TB in the homeless appears to be effective and results in substantial cost savings. A larger multicenter study should be considered to confirm these findings and better quantify the cost-effectiveness of such programs.
Authors: Payam Nahid; Susan E Dorman; Narges Alipanah; Pennan M Barry; Jan L Brozek; Adithya Cattamanchi; Lelia H Chaisson; Richard E Chaisson; Charles L Daley; Malgosia Grzemska; Julie M Higashi; Christine S Ho; Philip C Hopewell; Salmaan A Keshavjee; Christian Lienhardt; Richard Menzies; Cynthia Merrifield; Masahiro Narita; Rick O'Brien; Charles A Peloquin; Ann Raftery; Jussi Saukkonen; H Simon Schaaf; Giovanni Sotgiu; Jeffrey R Starke; Giovanni Battista Migliori; Andrew Vernon Journal: Clin Infect Dis Date: 2016-08-10 Impact factor: 9.079
Authors: Donna Fitzpatrick-Lewis; Rebecca Ganann; Shari Krishnaratne; Donna Ciliska; Fiona Kouyoumdjian; Stephen W Hwang Journal: BMC Public Health Date: 2011-08-10 Impact factor: 3.295