THERAPEUTIC PATIENT EDUCATION: A CORNERSTONE OF ADHERENCE AND EFFECTIVENESS IN TUBERCULOSIS TREATMENT.

Tuberculosis is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, affecting mainly low- and middle-income countries, but persisting in vulnerable populations in high-income countries. The effectiveness of tuberculosis treatments depends on strict adherence, which is often compromised by the length of the protocols, adverse drug effects, and unfavorable psychosocial determinants. Patient therapeutic education is a structured, multidisciplinary strategy aimed at strengthening the knowledge, self-management skills, and autonomy of patients with tuberculosis, whether they have latent tuberculosis infection or active tuberculosis disease. It is complementary, improving treatment adherence and clinical outcomes and helping to strengthen the fight against tuberculosis.