Temporal trends in areas at risk for concomitant tuberculosis in a hyperendemic municipality in the Amazon region of Brazil

COMPLETENESS OF NURSES’ RECORDS IN THE CARE OF PEOPLE WITH TUBERCULOSIS: A TREND STUDY

ABSTRACT Objective: to assess the completeness and tendency of non-completeness of the records of nurses in the care of people with tuberculosis followed up in Primary Health Care. Method: this is a descriptive, documentary, retrospective study, with quantitative approach, developed in family health units of a municipality in the state of Paraíba. It took place between July and September 2020. A sample of 190 medical records was delineated, selected by sampling in two stages: proportionality and systematic probabilistics. The collected data were analyzed using the R software, assuming a significance level of 5%. Descriptive statistics, Pareto Chart and trend analysis were used. Results: completeness classification was predominantly “very bad” (76.9%), with a higher percentage of non-completion for the indicators: prejudice (91.1%), preliminary findings (85.2%), absenteeism in consultations (80.8%), family history of tuberculosis (74.7%) and psychosocial aspects. They showed a trend of significant non-completion ascending: lifestyle and conditions of life (p=0.0088) and physical examination (p=0.0352). The only indicator with a trend of significant non-completion descending was Prejudice (p=0.0077). Conclusion: unsatisfactory completeness and a predominantly ascending trend towards non-completion of records was found, indicating points to be prioritized in public health interventions due to their importance in the production of indicators in tuberculosis management in Primary Health Care that can influence decision-making.

Factors associated with latent tuberculosis among international migrants in Brazil: a cross-sectional study (2020)

Background

Migrants are a high priority group for TB control measures due to their high exposure to risk factors such as poverty and social vulnerability. The study aimed to identify factors associated with latent TB among international migrants living in four Brazilian state capitals. This was a cross-sectional study conducted in September and October 2020 in a sample of 903 international migrants living in four Brazilian state capitals: Boa Vista/RR (458), Manaus/AM (136), São Paulo/SP (257), and Curitiba/PR (52). Data were collected with a questionnaire consisting of open and closed questions on personal characteristics, information on TB, and use of preventive measures. Tuberculin skin test (TST) was performed, with reading after 72 h by trained nurses and using 5 mm induration as the positive cutoff. Chi-square test (X²) and Fisher’s exact test, both two-tailed, were used to compare statistically significant levels of association between the migrants´ sociodemographic characteristics, vulnerability, and latent TB infection (LTBI). Binary logistic regression was applied to calculate odds ratios and respective 95% confidence intervals. For all the tests, type I error of 5% was defined as statistically significant (p < 0.05).

Results

Prevalence of LTBI among migrants was 46.1% in Manaus/AM, 33.3% in São Paulo/SP, 28.1% in Curitiba/PR, and 23.5% in Boa Vista/RR. Factors associated with latent infection were age, male gender, and brown or indigenous race.

Conclusions

The study showed high prevalence of latent TB among international migrants.