Msajid Abbasi, Sarah Nisar, Tahir M, Rukhsana Manzoor, Muhammad Shafique Arshad.
Effectiveness of Directly Observed Therapy Short Course (DOTS) in Patients with Tuberculosis Registered at Federal General Hospital, Islamabad.
Ann Pak Inst Med Sci Jan ;13(2):195-8.

Objective: To determine the effectiveness of DOTS in TB patients at Federal General Hospital. Study Design: Cross section study Place and Duration: The study was conducted in Medical department and TB DOTS center National TB Control Program (NTP) at Federal General Hospital Chak Shahzad Islamabad from Jan 2015 to Dec. 2015. Methodology: Using consecutive sampling technique, 148 confirmed TB patients presenting to medical OPD were enrolled in study and were registered with DOTS program. After taking informed consent, a validated questionnaire was used to gather information including demography, clinical characteristics, details on compliance and outcome status. Data was analyzed using SPSS software. Results: Total 148 TB patients were enrolled. Male to female ratio was 0.94: 1. Mean age was 36 years (±SD 2.8). The most frequent age group was 15- <50 years (106, 72%). Out of total 148 cases, 126 (85%) had pulmonary tuberculosis, 21 (14%) had extrapulmonary TB while one was (1%) was cryptogenic. 130 patients (89%) were newly diagnosed whereas 18 (11%) were relapsed cases. Except for 15 cases (9 lost to follow up and 6 deaths), rest 133 completed treatment with 94% cure rate. Conclusion: DOTS is a very effective strategy to treat tuberculosis patients. Good counseling of the patients by the doctors and TB healthcare worker can further minimize the risk of treatment default.

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