The Role of Drug Swallowing Supervisors (PMO) in Improving Tuberculosis Treatment Adherence: A Literature Review

Abstract

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which can attack all organs, especially the lungs. Tuberculosis remains the world's deadliest infectious disease, with more than 9 million infections and 1.7 million deaths per year. If not treated or managed correctly, this disease can lead to serious consequences and even death. The purpose of this literature review is to obtain an overview of the relationship between drug-taking supervisors (PMO) and the level of adherence to treatment visits in pulmonary TB patients from various perspectives and various similar studies. The research method used in this study is a literature review, which includes an analysis of 8 articles obtained from three databases: ProQuest, Science Direct, and Google Scholar. The search keywords used for article retrieval included "drug-taking supervisors or drug swallowing supervisor or PMO," "Tuberculosis or TB or TBC," and "drug adherence," using "AND" and "OR" as Boolean operators. Treatment monitoring is the main focus in supporting the success of pulmonary TB patients in the recovery period. Based on the findings of a review of 8 literature journals, there was an increase in recovery when supervisors took medication because the risk of forgetting during treatment visits was reduced, and the fear of PMO was reduced, causing pulmonary TB patients/patients to more regularly visit the nearest health facility that has been approved for treatment provided. Therefore, the drug-taking supervisor (PMO) on adherence to treatment visits is very important in breaking the cycle of pulmonary TB in the community.