Videosupported Treatment as Method of Delivering the Healthcare to Tuberculosis

According to the actual national policy, the patients with tuberculosis may benefit from the following anti-tuberculosis treatment options: a) directly observed delivered in the community close to the patient’s home or work; b) treatment provided in hospitals or specialized dispensaries and c) video-supported treatment, which is currently in expansion, regardless the low evidence of its effectiveness. The aim of the study was to assess the advantages and issues in delivering the anti-tuberculosis treatment through the telecommunication technologies in patients with tuberculosis. Was conducted a selective, prospective and case-control study, which included 255 patients who underwent a completely video-supported treatment and 498 patients who underwent directly observed, then transferred to video-supported treatment. The patients were registered between 2020 and 2022 in the Republic of Moldova. The study results established that the issues in delivering the video-supported treatment were the main risk factors for tuberculosis: vulnerable economical state, poor living conditions, comorbid state and harmful habits. Despite the limitations in the use of video-supported treatment, as positive sputum smear and parenchymal lung destruction, one third of both groups were treated through the delivering the treatment using the telecommunication technologies. The advantages of entirely video-supported treatment were high flexibility for patients and healthcare staff, epidemiological isolation, and high treatment effectiveness. The advantages of the directly observed followed by the video-supported treatment were the establishment of the therapeutic compliance, clinical tolerance to the anti-tuberculosis drugs, the management of the health-threatening conditions under the direct supervision of the healthcare staff.