DHHS → MeCDC → Disease Surveillance → Epidemiology → Tuberculosis → Directly Observed Therpy
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Disease Surveillance Epidemiology Program
Tuberculosis - Directly Observed Therapy
The Maine Tuberculosis (TB) Control Program and Division of Family Public Health Nursing Services adopted DOT as the standard of care for persons diagnosed with active TB.
As defined by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), DOT is when a health care worker or other designated individual directly observes the patient swallow the prescribed drugs. Household members should not hold responsibility for DOT.
The Centers for Disease Control and the American Thoracic Society recommend that DOT be considered for all patients as a method of ensuring adherence to a medication regime. In Maine, DOT is used for all patients with active, infectious TB disease and may be used for patients with extrapulmonary TB disease. DOT may include the use of incentives and enablers to encourage adherence.
References:
- ATS, Treatment of TB and TB Infection in Adults and Children, American Journal of Respiratory Critical
Care Medicine, Vol. 149, Pgs 1359-1374 CDC, Improving Patient Adherence to Tuberculosis Treatment,
1994
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – Self-Study Modules on Tuberculosis, Module 9 https://www.cdc.gov/tb/education/ssmodules/module9/ss9reading2.htm
