Full Form of DOTS

DOTS is commonly known as TB-DOTS. This is referred to as a strategy that aims to cure tuberculosis (abbreviated as TB) and thereby reduce the number of tuberculosis cases around the globe. This strategy takes place when a health care worker or any other designated person (not any family members) provides the prescribed TB drugs to the specific TB patients and makes sure that the patient swallows each and every dose. If the patient is left alone with medicine, he might forget to take some of their doses which may lead to the spread of drug-resistant tuberculosis. This is basically what is meant by DOTS

In this section, we will answer ‘What is the full form of DOTS?’ after discussing the full name of DOTS we will focus on knowing its importance, global solution, and impact of DOTS. 

DOTS Full form

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DOTS Full form in medical is Directly Observed Therapy, Short-Course. This prevents the spread of tuberculosis to others. 

After answering the question ‘What is the full form of DOTS?’ we will next focus on the importance of DOTS. 

DOTS – A Saviour Strategy

Importance of DOTS

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Directly Observed Therapy, Short-course (DOTS full form in medical) importance is not measured. In fact, this strategy strategized in DOTS helps and cure the TB infected person, also preventing the spread of this infectious disease. 

Here is the list of importance which is benefitted from DOTS:

• The strategy of DOTS prevents TB from spreading to others.

• DOTS decreases the chances of treatment failure.

• It helps the patients to finish their TB treatment as quickly as possible also without any gap in dosage.

• The DOTS strategy decreases the risk of drug-resistance TB this would be a problem as this would be an incomplete treatment of this disease.

• According to studies, under DOTS overall, 85-90% of TB patients took their medication correctly as compared to the 62% of TB patients who were on self-administered therapy, that is without DOTS.

• This ensures that the patient will take their medication as directed; people also might forget or have problems while taking medication correctly. So, this problem is eradicated with DOTS.

Clear Explanation of DOTS

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DOTS is actually a strategy that is used to reduce the number of tuberculosis (abbreviated as TB) cases. In this DOTS procedure, the healthcare workers observe the patients thoroughly as they take their medicine. Left alone, the patients infected with tuberculosis may fail to take their dosage. Hence, health workers or any person designated for this cause can easily remind and track the person’s recovery being in this DOTS strategy.  

This is a control strategy that is being recommended by the WHO (World Health Organization). WHO says, "The most cost-effective way to stop the spread of TB in communities with a high incidence is by curing it. The best curative method for TB is known as DOTS." 

DOTS has five main components to make it a successful strategy:

1. Government commitment is required in this (including political support is also required at all levels, and establishment of a centralized and prioritized system of monitoring of TB, recording and training the health workers.)

2. Case detection of TB by sputum smear microscopy.

3. A standardized treatment regimen is to be given directly for six to nine months. At this time, the patient is to be observed by a healthcare worker or a community health worker for at least the first two months. 

4. Enough drug supplies.

5. A standardized recording and reporting system will allow the assessment of the treatment results of the patients.

Steps Involved in DOTS

• Delivering the only prescribed medication as directed in the DOTS.

• Checking for the side effects which is related to medication.

• To make sure that the patient swallows the medication.

• Documenting the visit with the patient.

• Answering questions and helping in research or surveys which is related to TB and DOTS. 

Impact Worldwide

There has been reported a steady uptake of DOTS. The TB control services over the subsequent decades have upsurged the taking of the DOTS strategy. Whereas only less than 2% of the infectious TB patients were being detected and are cured, with DOTS treatment services in the year 1990 approximately 60% have been benefitted from this care. Since the year 1995, 41 million people were successfully treated and almost 6 million lives got saved through the DOTS and the Stop TB Strategy. 5.8 million TB cases were notified through the DOTS programs in the year 2009. 

Global Solution

• Since the year 1995, more than 21 million TB patients have been treated via DOTS programs.

• By the end of 2005, around 190 countries had adopted these DOTS programs to cure the disease of TB.

• In the year 2006, around 2.5 million cases of TB patients were being registered, 85% of which successfully treated under the program of DOTS.

• In the year 2007, around 5 million new and relapse cases of TB were being treated under the DOTS strategy.

Did You Know?

1. Karel Styblo of the International Union Against TB & Lung Disease developed DOTS in the 1970s and 80s

2. The practice of DOTS was primarily held in Tanzania. 

3. Styblo provided a treatment that included checks and balances which provided high cure rates with cost-effective and affordable treatment prices. The cost of this strategy was done keeping in the mind of the developing nation.

4. The cost-effective feature included in this strategy increased the proportion of people cured of TB from 40% to nearly about 80%.

5. In the year 2007, WHO with World Bank started to investigate the potentiality of their expansion. In July, the year 2008, the World Bank invited Styblo and WHO to design a TB control project for China. Hence, by the end of the year 2007, the pilot project was achieving phenomenal results. 

6. In 1994, Kraig Klaudt, TB Advocacy Officer in WHO, developed the name and the concept for marketing this strategy in order to brand this complex public health intervention. To help the strategy of DOTS to hit the global and national markets, turned the word "dots" upside down to spell it as "stop" this proved a memorable and distinct shorthand that promoted "Stop TB. Use Dots!" 

7. The DOTS report was released to the public on 20th March, in the year1995, at New York City’s Health Department. In this news conference, Tom Frieden, who is the head of the city’s Bureau of TB Control "TB control is basically a management problem.” – he stated.

8. On March 19th of the year1997, at the Robert Koch Institute in Berlin, Germany, WHO said that "DOTS was the biggest health breakthrough of the decade."