Modified directly observed treatment for tuberculosis versus self-administered therapy: an observational study in rural Greece

Nikolaos Charokopos

qualifications: MD, PhD

contribution: wrote the first draft, literature review, supervised data collection

position: Hospital physician

Greece

• Position:Consultant / Respiratory Physician Regional Hospital of Pirgos /Elia/Greece • Main Responsibilities :Consultations, outpatient service, emergency cases, bronchoscopies (200 per year) including all diagnostic modalities with flexible bronchoscope (brushing, TBNA, biopsies and transbronchial biopsies). Organization of the bronchoscopy unit. Work in the endoscopy unit (60 conventional TBNA via videoedoscopy per year, the only lab in western Greece to perform the method). Postgraduate Training: 2012: ERS school course in interventional pneumonology in Athens Greece (faculty member on duty) 2011: ERS school course in interventional pneumonology in Athens, Greece 2010: Educational seminar titled "Bronchoscopy, Science, Technique and Art" by the Greek Pneumonology Society and the American College Chest Physician (ACCP), faculty member responsible on TBNA technique demonstration (how and where to do it) 2009: Postgraduate training in interventional bronchoscopy at interventional endoscopic unit -Ancona-Italy (15-2-2009 /15-8-2009) 2009: ERS School Course on medical thoracoscopy in Alexandroupolis, Greece 2009: Seminar in PHTLS Specialization (pre-hospital trauma life support) by the American College of Surgeons 2007: Master Class in Respiratory Medicine, British Medical Journal Course, University of Manchester, UK 2007: ERS School Course on Non-invasive positive pressure ventilation, State of the art, Hanover, Germany. 2007: ERS School Course on Spirometry in Amsterdam, the Netherlands 2007: ERS School Course on Pulmonary hypertension and pulmonary vascular disease in Edinburgh, U.K 2002: Educational seminar on Bronchoscopy, Science, Technique and Art under the authority of Greek Pneumonology Society and American College Chest Physician (ACCP) 2002: Educational seminar titled "Bronchoscopy, Science, Technique and Art" by the Greek Pneumonology Society and the American College Chest Physician (ACCP) 1999- 2000: Polysomnographic studies at the sleep laboratory of the Pneumonology Department of the Medical School of Patras 1999: Training in the Polysomnography (PSG) study of sleep by Sensor Medics 1999: Six-month training in Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing by the Pulmology Department of the Medical School of Patras 1998: Specialization in Advanced Trauma Life Support ATLS by the American College of Surgeons after written examinations 1991: IT Training for Doctors by the Computer Engineering Department of the University of Patras (241 hours) Research 2012: Pilot study about Diercted Observed Therapy Short (DOTS) course in TB patients 2012: Cross-sectional prospective study about health status in Farmers in S.W.Greece 2011: Epidemiological study about the training status of Greek Respiratory Physicians in Bronchoscopy 2011: Prospective study about the iner-observer variability on TBNA cytological specimens between cytopathological laboratories in Greece 2009: Review study about NF-kb in asthma and COPD 2009: Retrospective study about sleep apnea syndrome and erectile dysfunction 2008: Prospective study about endocrinology profile in middle age marathon runners 2008: Retrospective study about Periodic Limb Movement during sleep. Medical diagnosis and artificial neural networks: a medical expert system applied to pulmonary diseases in COPD patients 2004: Retrospective study about sleep apnea syndrome and socioeconomic status 2000-2002: Prospective study about the behavior of albumin concentration in bronchial washing fluid in patients with bronchial carcinoma. 2000-2001: Rehabilitation project attributed to patients after laryngectomy 1997-1999: Epidemiological study of the effect of asbestos exposure in workers in a cement factory in Patras. 1997-1999: Epidemiological study of recognition of the most frequent allergens in the S.W.region of Patras. 1997: Epidemiological study in schools of Patras on the effect of parental smoking in the respiratory function of students. 1996: Prospective study on the effects of labor in oxygen saturation. 1996: Prospective study of pulmonary dilatation in normoxaemic patients with early liver cirrhosis 1995-1998: Prospective study of pulmonary mean pressure calculation in-patients with COPD with the combination of non-invasive examinations (PhD Thesis) 1995: Participation in the Polycentric study of the drug Formoterol (foradil-Novartis) 1995: Prospective study on the effect of bronchoscopy in the respiratory system. 1994: Project with the collaboration of the Engineering Department of the University of Patras in order to develop a medical diagnosis with artificial neural networks: A medical expert system in the field of pulmonary diseases.

Georgios Tsiros

qualifications: MD, PhD

contribution: original concept, original concept, supplied data, contributed to drafts, implementation of the DOT

position: GP

Greece

GENERAL PRACTITIONER

Antigoni Foka

qualifications: PhD

contribution: PCR tests

position: Scientific researcher

Panagiota Voila

qualifications: MD

contribution: contributed to drafts

position: Microbiologist

Konstantinos Chrysanthopoulos

qualifications: MD, PhD

contribution: contributed to drafts

position: Professor

Iris Spiliopoulou

qualifications: MD, PhD

contribution: contributed to drafts, supervision of all microbiological tests

position: Professor

Eleni Jelastopulu

qualifications: MD, PhD

contribution: original concept, designed the project, supervised data collection, statistical analysis, contributed to drafts

position: Associate professor

Greece

Assistant Professor Laboratory of Public Health Medical School, University of Patras