While DOT alone has not been shown to improve treatment outcomes, there are a number of other benefits of DOT including:

• An accurate assessment of the degree of adherence


• A greater assurance that the medications have actually been ingested


• A greater certainty that the patient is actually receiving the prescribed medications


• Adverse drug effects and other complications can be recognized quickly and managed appropriately


• The need for additional social support can be identified more easily


• Other problems experienced by patients with tuberculosis (such as under-nutrition, poor housing, and loss of income) can be identified more easily