Evaluation of the effectiveness of a directly observed therapy program with Vietnamese tuberculosis patients

Tuberculosis (TB) has long been recognized as major public health problem. The rate of TB is high in immigrants, and the frequency of drug resistance is increasing. A major reason for the development of resistant infections as well as relapse is poor adherence to TB treatment. In response to thi problem, directly observed therapy (DOT) was introduced to thi TB program in Santa Clara county in 1993. The purpose of thi study is to compare the completion rates, relapse rates, and sputum conversion rates between a DOT group and a non-DOT group of Vietnamese TB patients. A chart review was completed with a convenience sample of 25 records of DOT patients ani 25 records of non-DOT patients. Frequencies and percentage were used to analyze the completion rates and the relapse rates The results show that the completion of therapy rate was 16% higher in the DOT group and the relapse rate was 8% lower. A t-test indicated that the sputum conversion rate was significantly more rapid in the DOT group than in the non-DOT group (p< 0.05). Vietnamese TB patients appear to benefit from the DOT program.