directly observed therapy
Directly observed therapy is a simple but powerful idea: a trained person actually watches the patient swallow each dose of TB medicine. Rather than relying on memory and good intentions over many months, it builds a reliable habit and immediate support, like a coach standing alongside someone through a long, demanding training plan.
It exists because TB treatment is long, the pills are numerous, and stopping early or taking doses erratically is dangerous. Incomplete treatment lets surviving bacteria rebound and, worse, breeds drug resistance. Supervision keeps people on track, catches side effects early, and gives a chance to address the practical barriers — work, transport, stigma — that make finishing treatment hard.
Observation can happen at a clinic, at home, in the workplace, or increasingly by video on a smartphone. It is one pillar of the wider DOTS strategy promoted internationally for TB control. Its aim is not to police patients but to support cure: completing the full course protects the individual and prevents resistant strains from spreading.
A community health worker meets a patient each morning to watch him take his TB tablets, recording each supervised dose until the full course is completed.
Supervised dosing to support a full, successful cure.
DOTS, the broader WHO-promoted control strategy, includes much more than observation — reliable diagnosis, secure drug supply, recording and reporting are all part of it.