Investments in early diagnosis and treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis are crucial for better patient outcomes, two Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) researchers write in The Lancet Global Health.

In an article accompanying a new study of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDRTB) care in China, authors Dr. Karen Jacobson, an assistant professor of medicine at the Boston University School of Medicine and assistant professor of epidemiology at BUSPH, and Dr. Lora Sabin, associate professor of global health at BUSPH, say there is “mounting evidence” that investments in coordinating MDRTB care will produce better outcomes.

Specifically, they say the new study by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, which reports on an intervention to provide universal access to MDRTB care, shows that “a faster time to diagnosis has both clinical and cost benefits: elimination of hospital stay preceding diagnosis, which reduces potential nosocomial transmission of MDRTB along with hospital expenses, and faster initiation of MDRTB treatment.”

To read more about the study, go to: http://www.bu.edu/sph/2015/04/13/more-resources-needed-for-drug-resistant-tuberculosis/