Comparison of In-Person vs. Video Directly Observed Therapy (VDOT) on Stigma Levels in Tuberculosis Patients.

Introduction: To investigate the effect of video directly observed therapy (VDOT) on stigma levels in tuberculosis (TB) patients.

Methods: Thirty TB patients (36.5%) receiving directly observed therapy (DOT) and 52 receiving VDOT (63.4%) between 15.08.2021 and 15.10.2021 in Samsun, Turkey, were included in this study (n = 82). All the participants completed the Stigma Scale in Patients with Tuberculosis (SSTB), and their demographic and disease characteristics were investigated.

Results: The mean age of the participants was 50.0 ± 17.8 years, 64 were married (78.8%), and 38 were women (46.3%) in the study group. Sixty patients had pulmonary TB (73.1%), and duration of disease was less than 6 months in 64 (82.9) patients. The mean SSTB score was 84.2 ± 12.3, the DOT group exhibiting higher SSTB scores then the VDOT group (t = 2.524, P = ). The VDOT group had lower mean SSTB subdimension mean scores (perceived stigma, self-perception internalized stigma, and family/friend relations) (P < ). Linear regression models identified VDOT and male gender as independent factors for increased total SSTB scores (P < ). VDOT was also identified as an independent factor for total SSTB subdimension scores in the linear regression models (P < ).

Conclusion: Our results confirm that TB patients who receive VDOT has less stigmata compared with homecare DOT.