Needs of Tuberculosis Patients Who Experienced In-hospital Directly Observed Treatment Short-course Therapy

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to elucidate the needs of tuberculosis (TB) patients who undergo in-hospital directly observed treatment short-course (DOTS) therapy. In order to provide quality care to TB patients, it is essential to follow DOTS procedures. However, DOTS itself has been regarded as the act of nursing, and it is not clear whether patients are receiving nursing care that meets their needs. Therefore, we interviewed 15 TB patients who had undergone in-hospital DOTS therapy, made a verbatim list from the survey data, and categorized the results according to similarity of the semantic content. The mean age of subjects (n=15) was 56.3±13.5 years and mean hospital stay was 38±6.1 days. Analysis revealed that the needs of TB patients include development of an individualized medication assistance program so that patients can continue anti-TB drugs throughout the DOTS program and provision of information from DOTS records taken by nurses. This study suggests that nurses need to understand pain induced by TB medication and provide proper medication assistance that meets the activities of daily living of each patient. It is also necessary for nurses to develop a system in which they share roles in making a detailed DOTS record of the progress and test results of each patient.