Pharmacy DOTS Initiative (PDI): A case study on integrating pharmacies in the tuberculosis directly observed treatment-short course (TB DOTS) network in the Philippines

Abstract

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease that has continuously burdened Filipinos. Various programs have been launched by public and private sectors to decrease the incidence of TB and to scale up TB prevention and control in the country. In line with this, pharmacists have been contributing in the campaign against TB since 2004 through the implementation of the Pharmacy DOTS Initiative (PDI). Through the project Innovations and Multi-Sectorial Partnerships to Achieve Control of TB (IMPACT), PDI was relaunched in the country in 2014.

Objectives: This case study aims to evaluate the impact of PDI on TB prevention and control by assessing the effectiveness of the technical assistance package rolled out during program implementation.

Methods: A review of documents was done to evaluate the achievement of the specific targets of PDI.

Results: Among the targets, the percentage of actively referring pharmacies and the number of referrals made throughout the program failed to meet the target. The remaining program targets such as the establishment of a referral system, training of pharmacy personnel, adoption of a TB DOTS curriculum in pharmacy schools, and presence of national legislation, policies, and guidelines relevant to PDI were satisfactorily met.

Conclusion: PDI had a good response at the start of its implementation, but several issues resulted in the inability to sustain the interventions and achieve set targets.