Does directly observed treatment ("DOTS") contribute to tuberculosis treatment compliance?

This is a qualitative study performed in the theoretical framework of the Theory of Social Determination of the Health-Disease process and the concept of Compliance. The goal was to analyze meanings of DOTS in compliance with tuberculosis treatment, according to healthcare professionals of the Technical Healthcare Supervision of Butantã (SUVIS), a region of the São Paulo City Healthcare Secretariat, Brazil. The project was submitted to the Ethics Committee of the São Paulo Municipal Health Secretariat. All professionals (22 people) developing DOTS were interviewed, including service coordinators, healthcare professionals and the DOTS coordinator for the region. The statements were analyzed with an appropriate technique for discourse analysis. The results appoint that the strategy presents more potentialities than limits and is effective regarding compliance, since it allows the professionals to welcome and monitor the patients, considering their needs. The importance of increasing the understanding of compliance is also noted, so that it can go beyond the simple intake of medication, integrating the care for the sick person and his or her necessities by transcending those restricted to the biological dimension.