Delayed diagnosis of Plasmodium vivax malaria and associated factors among Thai patients and patients from neighboring countries at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Bangkok, Thailand
Infection·
- DOI
- 10.1007/s15010-026-02930-8
- PMID
- 42606671
- PMCID
- —
- OpenAlex
- W7203627798
- Study type
- Journal article
- Publisher
- Springer Science and Business Media LLC
- Article type
- journal-article
- Integrity
- current
Why this research matters now
Recognizing these temporal barriers supports the development of region-specific awareness campaigns and triage guidelines for fever management in areas experiencing reduced transmission.
Structured evidence summary
Research question
Investigates the frequency and contributing variables behind postponed clinical confirmation of Plasmodium vivax infections at a specialized urban hospital in Thailand.
Study design
A retrospective chart review analyzing fourteen years of admission records, employing multivariable modeling to contrast demographic and clinical profiles across diagnostic timeline groups.
Population and setting
Individuals presenting with confirmed parasitic infection at a Bangkok tropical disease facility, encompassing local residents and travelers from adjacent regions.
Main findings
Postponement exceeding four days occurred in nearly sixty percent of cases, driven primarily by patient hesitation rather than clinical assessment delays. Middle-aged adults, individuals in administrative roles, those without previous infection history, and patients initially receiving incorrect clinical evaluations demonstrated significantly elevated odds of postponement.
Public-health relevance
Recognizing these temporal barriers supports the development of region-specific awareness campaigns and triage guidelines for fever management in areas experiencing reduced transmission.
Important limitations
Relying on historical institutional records restricts real-time validation and may omit undocumented pre-admission interactions. Conducting the analysis at one tertiary facility constrains broader applicability to diverse healthcare systems.
GIDS interpretation
The manuscript supplies descriptive metrics regarding diagnostic timelines for a specific pathogen within a transitioning epidemiological landscape, establishing baseline context for regional health monitoring frameworks.
Related GIDS surveillance
Literature context does not validate, explain, or change a surveillance signal. Exact and contextual relationships are shown separately.
Evidence relationships
This article has 8 auditable classifier relationships to diseases, places, topics, and study design.