Video Directly Observed Therapy to support adherence with treatment for tuberculosis in Vietnam: A prospective cohort study

Abstract

VDOT was feasible and resulted in high rates of treatment adherence in a resource-limited setting.

Video directly observed therapy for supporting and monitoring adherence to tuberculosis treatment in Uganda: a pilot cohort study

“…In Uganda, adherence estimates, as measured by TB treatment completion rates, range from 67% to 77% according to the TB Control Program and health sector performance reports [39,40]. In our study, the median FEDO of 85% using VDOT was similar to 88.4% reported by a study in Vietnam [9]. In contrast, a lower adherence of 74% was reported from a recent study in Kampala among patients attending two public TB clinics using standard DOT [13].…”

“…Importantly, we accounted for an additional 10% of doses that were self-administered, potentially increasing the estimated overall adherence to 92%. When using VDOT, the follow-up process could inherently improve patient-provider interactions and engagement beyond the routine observation [9].…”

“…Directly observed treatment (DOT) is a standard strategy that was established to ensure adherence to treatment in the early 1990s but proper implementation has proved difficult to achieve worldwide [6,8]. In sub-Saharan Africa, the practice of DOT is limited by a severe shortage of healthcare workers coupled with weak public health systems in which most TB programmes operate [9,10]. Previous studies in Uganda showed that only 16% of TB clinics implemented DOT properly due to a shortage of health workers [11].…”

“…Previous studies in high-income [26,27,[30][31][32] and low-income countries [9,33] have reported high adherence and patient satisfaction with VDOT. One study from Kenya showed the promise of digital health interventions for supporting TB treatment success [34]; however, no published studies exist on the use of VDOT in Africa.…”

The effects of family, society and national policy support on treatment adherence among newly diagnosed tuberculosis patients: a cross-sectional study

“…Home visits and telephone supervision contacts by health workers could improve treatment adherence, and health worker calls were a generally accepted method for patient management [45]. A study in Vietnam found that digital monitoring was also a viable and acceptable adherence support method [46]. However, there have also been studies that suggest that when patient adherence problems were reported to doctors through monitoring, doctors may not have enough nancial incentives to manage patients more strictly [37].…”