A simple scheme to improve compliance in patients taking tuberculosis medication

Compliance with prescribed treatment remains a major problem in the control of tuberculosis worldwide. We describe a simple method of improving patient compliance with hospital-based treatment. Eighty-two patients paid a deposit at the start of their treatment which entitled them to cheaper drugs and was refundable on completion of the prescribed course. Sixty-two per cent of patients completed the course compared with 23% of retrospective controls. A direct relationship was found between the amount of deposit paid and the rate of completion. Reasons why poor patients (who paid a lower deposit) may default are discussed, as are the merits of short-course drug regimens. It is recommended that similar schemes be assessed elsewhere.