The full form of DOTS is Directly Observed Therapy, Short-course. It is also referred to as TB-DOTS. It alludes to a method intended to treat and lower the likelihood of TB (tuberculosis) cases. In this method, a medical professional or other appropriate person gives the prescribed TB medications to tuberculosis patients and makes sure they take each dose as prescribed. If the patient is left unattended, they can forget to take medication, which could lead to the spread of drug-resistant tuberculosis.
Main Actions of DOTS
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- Supplying the drug prescribed in the DOTS
- Checking for medication-related side effects
- To ensure that the patient swallows the drug,
- Detailing the visit
- Answering TB & DOTS relevant queries
Significance of DOTS
- DOTS avoids the transition of TB to others.
- DOTS reduces the probability of a treatment error.
- Thanks to DOTS, patients can finish their tuberculosis treatment immediately and without a break.
- The likelihood of drug-resistant tuberculosis as a result of inadequate treatment is reduced.
- According to the data, 85–90% of TB patients using DOTS correctly provided their meds, compared to 62% of TB patients receiving self-administered therapy.
- We cannot guarantee that the patient will take the medication as instructed; some people may struggle or fail to take their medications correctly. This issue can be solved with DOTS.