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Updated: Aug 18, 2026
An Automated Culture System for Use in Preclinical Testing of Host-Directed Therapies for Tuberculosis
Published on: August 16, 2021
Directly observed treatment of tuberculosis in Hong Kong
1Tuberculosis and Chest Service, Department of Health, Hong Kong, China. chungpor@netvigator.com
Objective:
To evaluate the local use of out-patient directly observed treatment (DOT) for tuberculosis (TB) control.
Setting:
Seventeen government chest clinics managing around 80% of TB patients in Hong Kong.
Method:
A retrospective cohort. TB patients registered for treatment from 1 July to 31 August 2000 were followed up for 2 years. Baseline socio-demographic and clinical characteristics were correlated with adherence to DOT, mode of treatment and treatment outcomes.
Results:
Of 988 patients, respectively 142, 140 and 21 switched to non-DOT within 2 months, 2-6 months and after 6 months. More Chinese patients than ethnic minorities switched to non-DOT within the first 2 months (15.2% vs. 0%, P = 0.001). Geographical inconvenience (31.7%) was the primary reason for switching initially, with increasing proportions giving no specific reason after the second month. Patients staying on DOT in the first 2 months had a significantly higher cure rate than those not on DOT, in both univariate (92.7% vs. 83.9%, P = 0.002) and multivariate analysis (OR = 2.5, P = 0.001). Subsequent switching, intermittent or daily regimen did not appear to affect the outcome.
Conclusion:
Significant numbers of patients failed to stay on DOT, and those staying initially had a better outcome.
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