There is a pervasive perception among providers that treating patients with TB on an outpatient basis will lead to increased TB transmission. With the advent of modern antituberculosis chemotherapy, admission to the hospital has been shown not to be necessary for effective treatment of TB. Studies have shown that, not only does outpatient treatment of TB achieve cure rates comparable to inpatient care, outpatient therapy is not associated with an increase in TB transmission in the community. The risk of transmitting TB to others is related to prolonged exposure to a case with undiagnosed, untreated, infectious TB. By the time.
