Inventory study on completeness of tuberculosis case notifications in Poland in 2018

Area of Science:

• Epidemiology
• Public Health Surveillance
• Infectious Disease Control

Background:

• Evaluating tuberculosis (TB) notification completeness is vital for monitoring TB surveillance systems.
• Estimating the TB disease burden is crucial for effective control strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess TB reporting completeness in Poland for the year 2018.
• To evaluate the accuracy of the National TB Register against diagnostic laboratory data.

Main Methods:

• A double-pronged inventory approach comparing National TB Register notifications with diagnostic laboratory records.
• Calculation of under-reporting using observed and capture-recapture (CRC) methods.
• Comparison of notifications with aggregated hospitalisation data for regional and demographic completeness estimates.

Main Results:

• Observed TB under-reporting was 1.9% (78 cases missing), with CRC-modelled under-reporting at 2.4% (4,176 total estimated cases).
• Under-reporting based on hospitalisation data was 5.1%, showing variation across regions and age groups but consistency between sexes.
• The surveillance system captures at least 90% of estimated TB cases in Poland.

Conclusions:

• The TB surveillance system in Poland demonstrates high completeness, capturing ≥90% of estimated cases.
• The notification rate serves as a good proxy for diagnosed TB incidence in Poland.
• Transitioning to a digital reporting system is recommended to improve data timeliness and reduce reporting delays.