An assessment of treatment compliance among patients on DOTS under revised national tuberculosis control programme in district Rewa, Madhya Pradesh, India

Abstract

Background: India is the highest TB burden country in the world. In the year 2006, annual performance of revised national tuberculosis control programme (RNTCP) in India, in terms of cure rate of new smear positive patients was 84%, default rate was 6.4% while in Madhya Pradesh it was 82% and 7.6% respectively. Rewa district have poor performance as compare to national level. Non-adherence with treatment has been recognized as an important factor responsible for low cure rate and high incidence of drug resistant TB. The objective of study was to find out the compliance rate with DOTS and associated factors responsible for non-compliance in the district. Methods: The present observational study was carried out at fifteen selected DMC cum DOTS centers of Rewa district, M.P. Results: Of the 337 patients interviewed, majority of patients 270 (80.11%) complied and 67 (19.88%) did not comply to treatment. The main reasons for non-compliance were false perception of having their disease cured because they felt well with initial treatment 26 (38.81%), side effects of drugs 23 (34.33%), anxiety of loss of wages 9 (13.43%) and Migration of patients 7 (10.44%). Conclusions: Repeated counselling and motivation of noncompliant patients would be helpful to reduce noncompliance to treatment.