DIRECTLY OBSERVED TREATMENT SHORT-COURSE FOR TUBERCULOSIS: A THREE- YEAR SURVEY OF THE TREATMENT OUTCOME IN A TEACHING HOSPITAL IN NORTHEASTERN NIGERIA

Abstract

The major challenges of treating patients with pulmonary tuberculosis have been those of compliance and increasing incidence of multi-drug resistance. The use of directly observed treatment-short course (DOTS) has been widely reported to improve treatment success in settings where this treatment strategy recommended by the World Health Organization was implemented. Therefore the study was to determine the success rate of implementing DOTS strategy to patients with pulmonary tuberculosis in the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, Nigeria. A survey of the records of treatment of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis using the DOTS strategy over a three-year period from January, 2007 to December, 2009 in the Teaching Hospital was retrospectively carried out. Treatment success (Cure and treatment completion) was recorded in 1434 (85.5 %) patients, while 203 (12.1%) patients either defaulted or were lost to follow up. Forty-one (2.4 %) patients died in the course of treatment. The DOTS strategy in the Teaching Hospital was effective since the success rate was close to the projected value for the whole country.