Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42158351›Full record

ArticlePublic health action2026

Effectiveness and challenges of DOT in multidrug-resistant TB: a 12-year retrospective study.

S Jabeen, S Memon, F Rashid, N Ahmed, M N Khan, S M Qadir, M Akram, N Ahmed, A W Khan, Y Fu and 1 more

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Article in Public health action, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

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No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

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PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

S JabeenDepartment of Microbiology, Wu Lien Teh Institute, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China.
S MemonInstitute of Health, Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China.
F RashidDepartment of Bioinformatics and Biosciences, Capital University of Science and Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan.
N AhmedNational Reference Laboratory for Tuberculosis, National TB Control Program, Islamabad, Pakistan.
M N KhanDepartment of Cell Biology and Genetics, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China.
S M QadirNational Reference Laboratory for Tuberculosis, National TB Control Program, Islamabad, Pakistan.
M AkramDepartment of Life Sciences, School of Science (SSC), University of Management and Technology, Lahore, Pakistan.
N AhmedProvincial Reference Lab, Ojha Institute of Chest Diseases, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan.
A W KhanNational Reference Laboratory for Tuberculosis, National TB Control Program, Islamabad, Pakistan.
Y FuDepartment of Microbiology, Wu Lien Teh Institute, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China.
F ZhangDepartment of Microbiology, Wu Lien Teh Institute, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

settingTB remains a major public health problem in Pakistan, a high-burden country with a high prevalence of multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB). Directly Observed Treatment (DOT) is widely used to improve treatment adherence; however, provincial-level evaluations remain limited, particularly in Sindh.

objectiveTo assess the effectiveness, outcomes, and challenges of DOT in Sindh Province over a 12-year period. A retrospective observational study was conducted including all patients enrolled in the National DOT Programme in Sindh from 2010 to 2022. Demographic, clinical, and treatment data were evaluated.

resultsPulmonary MDR-TB was highly prevalent among individuals aged 16-35 years. Extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB) accounted for 6.32% of cases and pan drug-resistant TB (PDR-TB) for 0.32%. Before enrolling into DOT, most patients (48.35%) had treatment outcomes that were not evaluated or had failed treatment (38.45%) in their previous non-DOT therapy. DOT achieved cure rates of 68% for long-term regimens and 75% for short-term regimens, with timely sputum conversion.

conclusionDOT was effective for managing MDR-TB; however, high MDR-TB prevalence, delayed diagnosis, treatment-related side effects, and patient loss to follow-up emphasise the need for strengthened early detection, adherence support, and monitoring strategies to improve treatment outcomes.

Indexed as

directly observed therapylong-term regimenMDR-TBPakistanshort-term regimenSindhtreatment outcomestuberculosis

Identifiers

PMID42158351
PMCPMC13182882

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.