title: [Implementation status of community Directly Observed Therapy Short-course (dots) practice in medical facilities designated for tuberculosis treatment in the Tama area].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We conducted a survey of tuberculosis (TB) treatment and community Directly Observed Therapy, Short-course (DOTS) practice of doctors at the medical facilities designated for TB treatment in the Tama area, Tokyo, to determine the current status and issues of community DOTS and to enhance cooperation between public health centers and medical institutions.
  
  
  METHODS
  A self-administered questionnaire was sent by postal mail to 500 medical institutions selected through stratified random sampling in each public health center region.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We received 287 (57.4%) replies. Of these, 169 (58.9%) had not treated TB patients in the previous 2 years. A total of 48.8% of the doctors were aware of DOTS, and 2.8% were currently conducting DOTS, while 18.7% wanted to conduct DOTS. In contrast, 51.2% had barriers to conducting DOTS, and 27.2% had no plans to conduct DOTS. Knowledge of DOTS was correlated with the future possibility of conducting DOTS and with the use of medication diaries. Doctors in private clinics had lower participation rates in seminars compared to those doctors in hospitals.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In order to expand DOTS it is necessary to provide private doctors with educational tools with which doctors can update their knowledge of TB treatment.
authors.affiliation: Infection Control and Prevention Section, Kita City Public Health Center, 2-7-3, Higashi-jujo, Kita-ku, Tokyo 114-0001 Japan. nakatsubo-9c@city.kita.lg.jp
authors.forename: Naoki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nakatsubo
authors.forename: Tomoyo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Narita
authors.forename: Hidemi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Takimoto
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003151:Community Health Centers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D023801:Directly Observed Therapy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008499:Medical Records; D008875:Middle Aged; D010820:Physicians; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014041:Tokyo / Q000453:epidemiology; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy*