“99DOTS ”techno-supervision for tuberculosis treatment – A boon or a bane?
Abstract
In India, daily regimen with fixed-dose combination along with 99DOTS adherence tool and one-stop service at Anti-Retroviral Treatment (ART) centres for HIV infected Tuberculosis (TB) patients was launched in 2017. No systematic evaluation of its implementation has been done so far in a tertiary care setting in urban India. A mixed-methods study was conducted at National Institute of Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases, Delhi in 2018-19. Missed doses, average adherence and treatment outcomes were compared across 99DOTS dashboard and TB treatment card. In-depth interviews of patients and health care providers were conducted to explore the implementation challenges and benefits. This research was supported by the UK Department for International Development’s Operational Research Capacity Building Programme led by the International Union Against TB and Lung Disease (The Union)