{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,15]],"date-time":"2026-01-15T03:44:05Z","timestamp":1768448645380,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":0,"publisher":"International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease","issue":"4","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["public health action"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2012,12]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>SETTING: National tuberculosis programmes (NTPs) in Kiribati and the Marshall Islands, 2006\u20132010.OBJECTIVE: To determine the proportion of all tuberculosis (TB) cases that were pulmonary smear-negative, and for these patients to determine how many sputum smears were examined and the time from sputum smear examination to registration.DESIGN: A retrospective cross-sectional study involving a record review of national TB and laboratory registers.RESULTS: Of 2420 TB cases identified, 709 (29%) were registered as smear-negative pulmonary TB. Of the 695 (98%) with information on smear examination, 222 (32%) had no smear recorded, 61 (9%) had one smear, 86 (12%) two smears and 326 (47%) three smears. Among the 473 patients who had at least one smear, 238 (50%) were registered before sputum examination, 131 (28%) within 1 week, 72 (15%) between 1 and 4 weeks, and 34 (7%) &gt;4 weeks after sputum examination.CONCLUSION: NTPs in Kiribati and the Marshall Islands are diagnosing 29% of all TB patients as smear-negative pulmonary TB. Many patients do not have smears done or are registered before undergoing smear examination. Corrective measures are needed.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.5588\/pha.12.0030","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2012,10,31]],"date-time":"2012-10-31T15:44:03Z","timestamp":1351698243000},"page":"133-137","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Sputum smear examination and time to diagnosis in patients with smear-negative pulmonary tuberculosis in the Pacific"],"prefix":"10.5588","volume":"2","author":[{"given":"K.","family":"Viney","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"K.","family":"Bissell","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"K.","family":"Tabutoa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"T.","family":"Kienene","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"N. N.","family":"Linh","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"K.","family":"Briand","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"A. D.","family":"Harries","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"3554","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2012,12,1]]},"container-title":["Public Health Action"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/syndication.highwire.org\/content\/doi\/10.5588\/pha.12.0030","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,14]],"date-time":"2026-01-14T17:03:33Z","timestamp":1768410213000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.theunion.org\/lookup\/doi\/10.5588\/pha.12.0030"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2012,12]]},"references-count":0,"journal-issue":{"issue":"4","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2012,12,1]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2012,12]]}},"alternative-id":["10.5588\/pha.12.0030"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.5588\/pha.12.0030","relation":{},"ISSN":["2220-8372"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2220-8372","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2012,12]]}}}