Incidence data are rarely available and usually the assessment of the epidemiology of tuberculosis morbidity is based on notification data. Most countries in the world mandate physicians to report cases of tuberculosis. However, compliance with the law is often poor.
In this study in two large hospitals in London conducted twice shows the degree of underreporting of known cases treated for tuberculosis in these hospitals. In the first assessment, even chest physicians failed to report every fifth patient. The conduct of the study apparently increased the notification discipline as shown when the survey was repeated.
When interpreting reported tuberculosis cases, it is advisable to be informed about the notification system and its quality.
