{
  "abstract": "Background\n\nRomania continues to experience one of the highest tuberculosis (TB) burdens in the European Union/European Economic Area. During the COVID-19 pandemic, reduced inpatient capacity accelerated the use of ambulatory care for patients with drug-susceptible tuberculosis (DS-TB). This study evaluated treatment outcomes, outcome ascertainment, hospitalization requirements, and factors associated with unfavorable outcomes among patients managed through ambulatory TB services.Methods\n\nWe conducted a retrospective observational cohort study of adults with pulmonary or extrapulmonary DS-TB managed through ambulatory tuberculosis dispensaries affiliated with the \"Marius Nasta\" Institute of Pneumophthisiology, Bucharest, Romania, between January 2020 and December 2022. Treatment outcomes were defined according to World Health Organization criteria. Factors associated with unfavorable outcome were assessed using Firth penalized-likelihood logistic regression. Hospitalization during treatment was analyzed as a secondary outcome.Results\n\nThe final cohort comprised 545 patients with DS-TB, with a mean age of 44.8 years and 56.1% being male. Overall, 281 of 545 patients achieved treatment success, corresponding to a WHO-defined treatment-success rate of 51.6%. Twenty-seven patients (5.0%) experienced an unfavorable outcome, while 237 (43.5%) were classified as not evaluated. Among the 308 patients for whom a determinate end-of-treatment outcome was available, 281 (91.2%) achieved treatment success; however, this conditional proportion does not represent the programmatic treatment-success rate for the entire cohort.Conclusions\n\nStructured ambulatory DS-TB care was operationally feasible within this tertiary-care-linked dispensary network during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the WHO-defined treatment-success rate for the entire cohort was 51.6%, largely reflecting the substantial proportion of patients without an evaluable final outcome. The high proportion of not-evaluated patients represents an important programmatic weakness and limits conclusions regarding the effectiveness of the ambulatory model. Improved outcome ascertainment and continuity of follow-up are essential components of decentralized TB care.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Pneumology, \"Marius Nasta\" National Institute of Pneumology, 050150 Bucharest, Romania.",
    "Faculty of Medicine, Titu Maiorescu University, 040051 Bucharest, Romania.",
    "Faculty of Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy \"Carol Davila\", 020021 Bucharest, Romania.",
    "Department of Thoracic Surgery, \"Marius Nasta\" National Institute of Pneumology, 050150 Bucharest, Romania.",
    "Department of Cardiology, \"Th.Burghele\" Clinical Hospital, 050653 Bucharest, Romania.",
    "Doctoral School, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, 200349 Craiova, Romania.",
    "PAX Clinic, 020951 Bucharest, Romania."
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 11,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Ioana Munteanu",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-7986-8731"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        2
      ],
      "name": "Alexandru Stoichiță",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-1115-2379"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2,
        3
      ],
      "name": "Silviu Gabriel Vlasceanu",
      "orcid": "0009-0007-3856-7917"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Mara Balteanu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Oana Andreea Parlițeanu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        2
      ],
      "name": "Traian Constantin Panciu",
      "orcid": "0009-0007-5310-7353"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2,
        4
      ],
      "name": "Adriana Mihaela Iliesiu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        2
      ],
      "name": "Dragos Baiceanu",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-1219-0011"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        5
      ],
      "name": "Ioana-Mădălina Moşteanu",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-5127-5774"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        6
      ],
      "name": "Alexandru-Neculai Pavel",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-6721-4754"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        2
      ],
      "name": "Beatrice Mahler",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-9240-922X"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/ejtyd8qmg27qp.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3390/diseases14100370",
  "fulltext_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13703365",
  "id": "ejtyd8qmg27qp",
  "issns": [
    "2079-9721"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42929997",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "2725|Tuberculosis Research and Epidemiology"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7220743019",
  "pdf_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13703365?pdf=render",
  "pmcid": "PMC13703365",
  "pmid": "42929997",
  "published": "2026-10-06",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/ejtyd8qmg27qp.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:22:01Z",
      "native_id": "MED:42929997",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42929997"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:2725|Tuberculosis Research and Epidemiology",
      "subfield": "infectious-disease"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Real-World Outcomes of Ambulatory Drug-Susceptible Tuberculosis Management During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Romania.",
  "title_text": "Real-World Outcomes of Ambulatory Drug-Susceptible Tuberculosis Management During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Romania.",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:22:01Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/ejtyd8qmg27qp",
  "venue": "Diseases (Basel, Switzerland)",
  "versions": []
}