TABLE 1

Independent factors on the delay in anti-tuberculosis (TB) treatment for patients initially diagnosed as having pneumonia (n=16 683), by linear regression analysis

	p-value	β (95% CI)
Age ≥65 years	<0.001	11.30 (9.79–12.81)
Diabetes mellitus	0.024	1.71 (0.22–3.20)
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease	<0.001	12.17 (10.12–14.23)
End-stage renal disease	<0.001	18.77 (14.53–23.01)
Malignancy	<0.001	8.39 (6.17–10.62)
Low income	<0.001	12.71 (9.31–16.11)
First visit for pneumonia in urban area	<0.001	2.82 (1.26–4.38)
Prescribed mycobacterial culture at first visit for pneumonia	<0.001	−15.78 (−17.20– −14.35)
Prescribed MTB-NAA at first visit for pneumonia	<0.001	−13.78 (−17.81– −9.74)
Prescribe FQ for ≥7 days at first visit for pneumonia	<0.001	16.50 (14.39–18.61)
Pneumonia requiring ED visit or hospitalisation	<0.001	15.06 (13.45–16.67)
Later TB diagnosis year per year increment	0.002	−0.65 (−1.06– −0.23)

MTB-NAA: Mycobacterium tuberculosis nucleic acid amplification test; FQ: fluoroquinolone; ED: emergency department.