Summary of findings 2. Home DOT versus clinic DOT.
| Home DOT versus clinic DOT | |||||
| Patient or population: Patients with TB treatment Settings: Low‐, middle‐ or high‐income countries Intervention: Home observation Comparison: Clinic observation | |||||
| Outcomes | Illustrative comparative risks* (95% CI) | Relative effect (95% CI) | No of participants (trials) | Quality of the evidence (GRADE) | |
| Assumed risk | Corresponding risk | ||||
| Clinic observation | Home observation | ||||
| Cure Follow‐up: up to 6 months | 492 per 1000 | 502 per 1000 (433 to 580) | RR 1.02 (0.88 to 1.18) | 1556 (4 trials) | ⊕⊕⊕⊝ moderate1,2,3 |
| Treatment completion4 Follow‐up: 2 to 6 months | 751 per 1000 | 781 per 1000 (684 to 879) | RR 1.04 (0.91 to 1.17) | 1029 (3 trials) | ⊕⊕⊕⊝ moderate1,2,3 |
| The basis for the assumed risk is the median control group risk across studies. The corresponding risk (and its 95% CI) is based on the assumed risk in the comparison group and the relative effect of the intervention (and its 95% CI). CI: confidence interval; RR: risk ratio; DOT: directly observed therapy; TB: tuberculosis. | |||||
| GRADE Working Group grades of evidence High quality: Further research is very unlikely to change our confidence in the estimate of effect. Moderate quality: Further research is likely to have an important impact on our confidence in the estimate of effect and may change the estimate. Low quality: Further research is very likely to have an important impact on our confidence in the estimate of effect and is likely to change the estimate. Very low quality: We are very uncertain about the estimate. | |||||
1Downgraded by 1 for risk of bias: selection bias is probable in one trial, Wandwalo 2004 TZA, as there was no blinding and no allocation concealment. In Lwilla 2003 TZA, sequence generation and allocation concealment were unclear and there was no blinding. This could bias the measurement of treatment completion. 2No serious indirectness: The trials were conducted in low‐, middle‐ and high‐income countries between 1995 and 2008. 3No serious imprecision: The analysis is adequately powered to detect clinically important differences between treatment arms. 4Some trials checked for completion of intensive phase treatment and others the completion of the whole therapy, hence the 2 to 6 months.