The Effectiveness of Telehealth Technology Combined with Directly Observed Treatment on Adherence Medication Reminder Among Tuberculosis Patient in the Community: A Case Study of Tuberculosis Patients Registered at the Tuberculosis

Abstract

This research aims to evaluate the effectiveness of using telehealth technology to send reminder messages to tuberculosis (TB) patients to take their medication in conjunction with the Directly Observed Treatment, Short-Course (DOTS) strategy. Additionally, it assesses the feasibility of developing a telehealth system for monitoring and treating TB patients within communities.
A Convergent Mixed-Methods Design was employed, combining a quasi-experimental study with qualitative research methods, including in-depth interviews. The study involved 47 participants in the experimental group and 51 participants in the control group. Research instruments included
a telehealth program, patient record forms, medication adherence assessment tools, and
semi-structured interviews. Chi-square statistics, logistic regression, and content analysis were used to analyze the data. The findings revealed that the mean adherence scores significantly differed
(p < .001), with the experimental group demonstrating better adherence and cooperation in TB treatment compared to the control group. The integration of telehealth reminders with directly observed treatment was significantly associated with treatment success (p < .001). Patients who received telehealth reminders were 2.7 times more likely to successfully complete their TB treatment (p < .001, 95% CI: 0.024 - 0.189) compared to those receiving direct observation alone. These results suggest that incorporating telehealth technology into TB treatment is feasible and well-suited for the digital era, offering a promising approach for improving medication adherence and treatment outcomes.