What is behind programmatic treatment outcome definitions for tuberculosis?
Zaza Avaliani, Ogtay Gozalov, Giorgi Kuchukhidze, Alena Skrahina, Viorel Soltan, Martin van den Boom, I. А. Vаsilyevа, Valentina Vilc, Askar Yedilbayev
Abstract
Following the launch of the DOTS (directly observed treatment, short-course) strategy in 1995, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended the evaluation of treatment outcomes [1, 2]. The methodology and the forms for recording and reporting, in order to programmatically evaluate the proportion of tuberculosis (TB) cases achieving treatment success (“cured” and “treatment completed”; table 1) or dying, failing treatment and being lost to follow-up, were initially developed by Karel Styblo in the 1980s as part of the pilot programme of TB control in Tanzania [1, 2]. Rationale for programmatic TB definitions in management of TB and MDR-TB <https://bit.ly/36BYD2E>