Synchronous video-supported treatment for tuberculosis in Cali, Colombia: An implementation study

Objective: To describe the implementation and outcomes of synchronous video-supported treatment (VOT) as a telemedicine strategy for monitoring tuberculosis treatment in patients from Cali, Colombia.Methods: A quasi-experimental study was conducted in Cali, Colombia. Patients aged & GE; 18 years with newly diagnosed tuberculosis sensitive to first-line drugs were included. The intervention consisted of synchronous video calls to monitor the daily intake of drugs, remotely and in real-time using the WhatsApp mobile appli-cation. We described the demographic and clinical characteristics, supervision and treatment adherence process, adverse drug effects, perception of the strategies, and transportation costs.Results: A total of 23 patients were enrolled in the study for synchronous VOT strategy. The adherence was 99.8% in the intensive phase (2HRZE) and 98.2% in the continuation phase (4HR). All patients completed the tuber-culosis treatment, achieving 100% cure criteria for patients with pulmonary tuberculosis. Most adverse effects were reported during the first month of treatment (31.6%). Timesaving was the main advantage reported for the strategy.Conclusions: Synchronous VOT strategy was well tolerated and accepted by all patients, allowing an excellent level of adherence to tuberculosis treatment. Synchronous VOT is proposed as a viable alternative to directly observed therapy for tuberculosis in selected patients.