The South Carolina Department of Public Health is soliciting bids from qualified vendors to establish a contract to provide an application that will allow DPH providers to perform a live (synchronous) approach known as Video Directly Observed Therapy (VDOT). Many communicative diseases such as Tuberculosis (TB) are treatable yet have poor medication adherence. This in turn leads to ongoing transmission, disease progression, and development of drug-resistant strains. Given the severe consequences of poor adherence, numerous Public Health programs have begun to use videoconferencing technology through videophones, computers, or smartphones to remotely observe patients swallowing pills. Studies of synchronous VDOT indicate that patients adhere to their regimens and mostly prefer VDOT over in-person DOT and that VDOT saves Public Health programs money by reducing travel and personnel costs.
