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Has the DOTS strategy improved case finding or treatment success? An empirical assessment.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Nearly fifteen years after the start of WHO's DOTS strategy, tuberculosis remains a major global health problem. Given the lack of empirical evidence that DOTS reduces tuberculosis burden, considerable debate has arisen about its place in the future of global tuberculosis control efforts. An independent evaluation of DOTS, one of the most widely-implemented and longest-running interventions in global health, is a prerequisite for meaningful improvements to tuberculosis control efforts, including WHO's new Stop TB Strategy. We investigate the impact of the expansion of the DOTS strategy on tuberculosis case finding and treatment success, using only empirical data. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We study the effect of DOTS using time-series cross-sectional methods. We first estimate the impact of DOTS expansion on case detection, using reported case notification data and controlling for other determinants of change in notifications, including HIV prevalence, GDP, and country-specific effects. We then estimate the effect of DOTS expansion on treatment success. DOTS programme variables had no statistically significant impact on case detection in a wide range of models and specifications. DOTS population coverage had a significant effect on overall treatment success rates, such that countries with full DOTS coverage benefit from at least an 18% increase in treatment success (95% CI: 5-31%). CONCLUSIONS: The DOTS technical package improved overall treatment success. By contrast, DOTS expansion had no effect on case detection. This finding is less optimistic than previous analyses. Better epidemiological and programme data would facilitate future monitoring and evaluation efforts.

SUBMITTER: Obermeyer Z

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2253827 | biostudies-literature | 2008

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Has the DOTS strategy improved case finding or treatment success? An empirical assessment.

Obermeyer Ziad Z Abbott-Klafter Jesse J Murray Christopher J L CJ

PloS one 20080305 3

<h4>Background</h4>Nearly fifteen years after the start of WHO's DOTS strategy, tuberculosis remains a major global health problem. Given the lack of empirical evidence that DOTS reduces tuberculosis burden, considerable debate has arisen about its place in the future of global tuberculosis control efforts. An independent evaluation of DOTS, one of the most widely-implemented and longest-running interventions in global health, is a prerequisite for meaningful improvements to tuberculosis control ...[more]

PMID: 18320042

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Project description:Objectives: Empirical assessment of parental needs and affecting factors for counseling success after prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart disease (CHD). Methods:Counseling success after fetal diagnosis of CHD was assessed by a validated standardized questionnaire. The dependent variable "Effective Counseling" was measured in five created analytical dimensions (1. "Transfer of Medical Knowledge-ToMK"; 2. "Trust in Medical Staff-TiMS"; 3. "Transparency Regarding the Treatment Process-TrtTP"; 4. "Coping Resources-CR"; 5. "Perceived Situational Control-PSC"). Analyses were conducted with regard to influencing factors and correlations. Results: Sixty-one individuals (n = 40 females, n = 21 males) were interviewed in a tertiary medical care center. Median gestational age at first parental counseling was 28 + 6 weeks. Parental counseling was performed four times (median), mostly by pediatric cardiologists (83.6%). Overall counseling was successful in 46.3%, satisfying in 51.9%, and unsuccessful in 1.9%. Analyses of the analytical dimensions show that counseling was less successful for TOMK (38.3%) and PSC (39%); success rates were higher if additional written information or links to web sources were provided (60 and 70%, respectively). Length of consultation was positively correlated to counseling success for ToMK (r = 0.458), TrtTP (r = 0.636), PSC (r = 0.341), and TiMS (r = 0.501). Interruptions were negatively correlated to the dimensions TiMS (r = -0.263), and TrtTP (r = -0.210). In the presence of high-risk CHD (37.5%) overall counseling success was lower (26.1%). By cross table analysis and to a low degree of positive correlation in one dimension (ToMK; r = 0.202), counseling tends to be less successful for ToMK, TrtTP, and TiMS if parents have not been counseled by cardiologists. Analyses regarding premises show a parental need for a separate counseling room, which significantly impacts ToMK (r = -0,390) and overall counseling success (r = -0.333). A language barrier was associated with lower success rates for ToMK, TiMS, and CR (21.4, 42.9, and 30.8%). Conclusions: Data from this multidisciplinary study indicate that parents after fetal diagnosis of CHD need uninterrupted counseling of adequate duration and quality in a separate counseling room. Providing additional written information or links to adequate web sources after initial counseling seems necessary. High-risk CHD needs more attention for counseling. There is a trend towards more counseling success if provided by cardiologists.

Project description:The early detection and diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is critical to providing appropriate and timely treatment. We explored a new active case-finding strategy for COPD using handheld spirometry.We recruited subjects over 40 years of age with a smoking history of more than 10 pack-years who visited a primary clinic complaining of respiratory symptoms. A total of 190 of subjects were enrolled. Medical information was obtained from historical records and physical examination by general practitioners. All subjects had their pulmonary function evaluated using handheld spirometry with a COPD-6 device. Because forced expiratory volume in 6 seconds (FEV6) has been suggested as an alternative to FVC, we measured forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1)/FEV6 for diagnosis of airflow limitation. All subjects were then referred to tertiary referral hospitals to complete a "Could it be COPD?" questionnaire, handheld spiromtery, and conventional spirometry. The results of each instrument were compared to evaluate the efficacy of both handheld spirometry and the questionnaire.COPD was newly diagnosed in 45 (23.7%) patients. According to our receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, sensitivity and specificity were maximal when the FEV1/FEV6 ratio was less than 77%. The area under the ROC curve was 0.759. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 72.7%, 77.1%, 50%, and 90%, respectively. The area under the ROC curve of respiratory symptoms listed on the questionnaire ranged from 0.5 to 0.65, which indicates that there is almost no difference compared with the results of handheld spirometry.The present study demonstrated the efficacy of handheld spirometry as an active case-finding tool for COPD in a primary clinical setting. This study suggested that physicians should recommend handheld spirometry for people over the age of 40, who have a smoking history of more than 10 pack-years, regardless of respiratory symptoms. Furthermore, people who have abnormal results, determined using the FEV1/FEV6 ≤0.77 cut-off, should be referred for further conventional spirometry to confirm the diagnosis of COPD. However, further studies within the general population are necessary to establish efficacy in the public.

Project description:IntroductionActive-case finding (ACF) programs have an important role in addressing case detection gaps and halting tuberculosis (TB) transmission. Evidence is limited on the cost-effectiveness of ACF interventions, particularly on how their value is impacted by different operational, epidemiological and patient care-seeking patterns.MethodsWe evaluated the costs and cost-effectiveness of a combined facility and community-based ACF intervention in Zambia that utilized mobile chest X-ray with computer-aided reading/interpretation software and laboratory-based Xpert MTB/RIF testing. Programmatic costs (in 2018 US dollars) were assessed from the health system perspective using prospectively collected cost and operational data. Cost-effectiveness of the ACF intervention was assessed as the incremental cost per TB death averted over a five-year time horizon using a multi-stage Markov state-transition model reflecting patient symptom-associated care-seeking and TB care under ACF compared to passive care.ResultsOver 18 months of field operations, the ACF intervention costed $435 to diagnose and initiate treatment for one person with TB. After accounting for patient symptom-associated care-seeking patterns in Zambia, we estimate that this one-time ACF intervention would incrementally diagnose 407 (7,207 versus 6,800) TB patients and avert 502 (611 versus 1,113) TB-associated deaths compared to the status quo (passive case finding), at an incremental cost of $2,284 per death averted over the next five-year period. HIV/TB mortality rate, patient symptom-associated care-seeking probabilities in the absence of ACF, and the costs of ACF patient screening were key drivers of cost-effectiveness.ConclusionsA one-time comprehensive ACF intervention simultaneously operating in public health clinics and corresponding catchment communities can have important medium-term impact on case-finding and be cost-effective in Zambia. The value of such interventions increases if targeted to populations with high HIV/TB mortality, substantial barriers (both behavioral and physical) to care-seeking exist, and when ACF interventions can optimize screening by achieving operational efficiency.

Project description:AimsTo estimate differences in post-treatment psychosocial functioning among treatment 'failures' (i.e. heavy drinkers, defined as 4+/5+ drinks for women/men) from two large multi-site clinical trials and to compare these levels of functioning to those of the purported treatment 'successes' (i.e. non-heavy drinkers).DesignSeparate latent profile analyses of data from two of the largest alcohol clinical trials conducted in the United States, COMBINE (Combined Pharmacotherapies and Behavioral Interventions) and Project MATCH (Matching Alcoholism Treatments to Client Heterogeneity), comparing psychosocial outcomes across derived classes of heterogeneous treatment responders.SettingEleven US academic sites in COMBINE, 27 US treatment sites local to nine research sites in Project MATCH.ParticipantsA total of 962 individuals in COMBINE (69% male, 77% white, mean age: 44 years) treated January 2001 to January 2004 and 1528 individuals in Project MATCH (75% male, 80% white, mean age: 40 years) treated April 1991 to September 1994.MeasurementsIn COMBINE, we analyzed health, quality of life, mental health symptoms and alcohol consequences 12 months post-baseline. In Project MATCH, we examined social functioning, mental health symptoms and alcohol consequences 15 months post-baseline.FindingsLatent profile analysis of measures of functioning in both samples supported a three-profile solution for the group of treatment 'failures', characterized by high-, average- and low-functioning individuals. The high-functioning treatment 'failures' generally performed better across measures of psychosocial functioning at follow-up than participants designated treatment 'successes' by virtue of being abstainers or light drinkers.ConclusionsCurrent United States Food and Drug Administration guidance to use heavy drinking as indicative of treatment 'failure' fails to take into account substantial psychosocial improvements made by individuals who continue occasionally to drink heavily post-treatment.

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Has the DOTS strategy improved case finding or treatment success? An empirical assessment.

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Has the DOTS strategy improved case finding or treatment success? An empirical assessment.

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