[Usefulness of support during treatment by alignment with health centers and DOT during hospitalization].

Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of patient support by alignment with public health centers and DOT during hospitalization, on treatment completion of tuberculosis patients.

Subjects: Four hundred seventy-seven patients (male 344, female 133) newly admitted from July 1, 2002 to June 30, 2003 to our hospital were enrolled in the study.

Method: The patients were divided into two groups: one comprised of the patients who were discussed in the conference held by the hospital staffs and the regional public health center staffs about the necessity of support for continuing treatment regularly after discharge from our hospital (Conference (+) group; N=306), and the other who were not discussed in the conference (Conference (-) group; N=171).