Abstract
Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious illness that requires long-term therapy. The WHO-recommended therapy using directly observed treatment short-course (DOTS) has been implemented internationally and has become the standard for tuberculosis diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring worldwide. The purpose of this study was to estimate factors related to compliance with TB-DOTS therapy.
Subjects and Method: This was a meta-analysis. Articles were obtained from PubMed and Google Scholar, using the following PICO format. Population: Tuberculosis patients with DOTS. Intervention: high knowledge, strong family support, and longer distance to the health facility. Comparison= low knowledge, weak family support, and shorter
distance to the health facility.
Outcome: treatment compliance. Selected articles were those published in 2015 to 2023, full-text, and cross-sectional study. The data were analyzed using the Review Manager 5.3 application. Results: The meta-analysis included 12 cross-sectional studies from Asia (4 studies) and Africa (8 studies) consisting of 2,785 TB patients compliance with TB long-term
DOTS therapy increased with high knowledge (aOR= 2.91; 95% CI= 1.63 to 5.17; p= 0.001) and strong family support (aOR= 4.01; 95% CI= 1.76 to 9.12; p=0.001). It decreased with longer distances to health care facilities (aOR= 0.30; 95% CI= 0.15 to 0.59; p= 0.001)..Conclusion: Compliance with TB long-term DOTS therapy increases with high knowledge and strong family support. It decreases with longer distances to health care facilities.
Keywords: Tuberculosis, drug treatment compliance, family support, distance to health facility
Correspondence:
Betriza. Masters Program in Public Health, Universitas Sebelas Maret. Jl.Ir. Sutami 36A, Surakarta 57126, Central Java, Indonesia. Email: betriza33@gmail.com. Mobile: +6282371354064