Virtual appointments help tuberculosis patients stick to treatment

Video Supported Care (VSC) for tuberculosis treatment is cheaper and more effective than face-to-face support, according to a UCL and UCLH medical trial led by Professor Andrew Hayward.

Synopsis

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Led by UCL, an NIHR-funded, randomised controlled trial of Video Observed Therapy (VOT) for tuberculosis (TB) demonstrated that VOT was more effective, cheaper and preferable to patients compared to the previous international standard of care – face-to-face Directly Observed Therapy (DOT). This contributed to the World Health Organisation (WHO) now recommending VOT as an alternative to DOT, and its subsequent widespread adoption throughout North America, Eastern Europe and China and the commissioning of a national VOT service for TB in England. VOT is now recommended by NHS England and used as the standard of care for multidrug-resistant TB (MDRTB) patients and socially complex patients who require support in adhering to their treatment.

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