Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
3196126 | Dermatologic Clinics | 2008 | 9 Pages |
Abstract
The success of current World Health Organization (WHO) key strategy for leprosy elimination (ie, multidrug therapy [MDT] regimen) depends largely on the efficiency of health care delivery services and patient compliance. A high rate of noncompliance with this regimen has serious implications for the leprosy control program because it can set the stage for the emergence of drug resistance, eventually resulting in treatment failure and failure of the program. A community-based descriptive study using pretested interviews conducted in 12 leprosy endemic areas in Cebu, Philippines, showed that the noncompliance rate with the WHO-MDT regimen among 233 study subjects was 30%. The causes of noncompliance are drug-related, health care provider-triggered, or patient-inducted, or some combination of these. Recommendations on strategic interventions to obviate the cause for noncompliance are presented.
Related Topics
Health Sciences
Medicine and Dentistry
Dermatology
Authors
Elsie R. MD, MSc, Veronica PhD, Angelita C. MSc, Gertrude P. MD, MSc, Sang Nae PhD,