Nursing practices centered on individuals with tuberculosis: an interface with democracy

Challenges faced by health workers in the use of the directly observed treatment (DOT) for tuberculosis

Tuberculosis is a worldwide public health problem, which, even with available treatment, continues to cause deaths worldwide. One of the obstacles to control the disease is the multifactorial difficulty of patients to adhere to treatment, in addition to the difficulty of health workers in circumventing barriers to implement strategies such as the directly observed treatment (DOT). The aim of this study is to analyze the performance and challenges faced by health workers in the use of DOT in tuberculosis. This is a descriptive, quali-quantitative study using data from interviews with primary-care professionals working in nine municipalities of Parana State, Brazil. The professionals answered a questionnaire containing four closed questions about DOT and an open question related to their professional opinion about the strategy. Quantitative data were entered into a spreadsheet and statistically propagated. Qualitative data were treated from the transcription of statements, subsequently submitted to content analysis. Of the 387 professionals interviewed, at least 58.9% had some knowledge about DOT. Among the main challenges faced by the professionals are: lack of user commitment to treatment (48.3%), users' difficulty in attending the basic health clinics (BHC) (31.4%), professionals' difficulty to reach the place where patients are treated (8.8 %), insufficient staff / lack of human resources (4.1%) and use of illicit drugs by patients (3.9%). Blaming the user and the lack of resources are the main highlights, in addition to issues such as the professionals' lack of access and knowledge that are highlighted by the difficulty of patients to adhere to the treatment of tuberculosis according to the participants' statements. The issues were raised by health workers manifestations involving adherence to treatment according to the DOT in the studied health region. It is possible, in this context, to observe the need for improvement in the knowledge of professionals with regard to the DOT, the importance of their bond with patients and families and the recognition of the part of responsibility that belongs to the health team on guaranteeing treatment.

Control de la tuberculosis en un sistema penitenciario brasileño: un estudio con métodos mixtos

Resumen Objetivo analizar el control de la tuberculosis en un sistema penitenciario de un Estado brasileño. Método estudio mixto explicativo secuencial. Fase I: descriptiva retrospectiva de los casos de tuberculosis en presos del estado de São Paulo en el periodo 2010-2016. Los casos se analizaron con frecuencias simples en el software SPSS 20.0 de la IBM y tendencia temporal en el software Stata/SE 14.0, por auto regresión de Prais-Winsten. Fase II: cualitativa. Se realizó con seis informantes-clave (profesionales sanitarios de una prisión) con base en la Teoría Fundamentada Constructivista. Resultados de 16.640 casos, 95,8% eran pulmonares, la Demanda Ambulatoria posibilitó el diagnóstico del 51,4%, y la curación fue la conclusión de tratamiento más frecuente. La categoría central fue: “Hacer bien su trabajo” y las subcategorías fueron: “Descubrir la enfermedad” e “Implicarse en el tratamiento”. Éstas señalaron las estrategias y acciones desarrolladas por los profesionales para diagnosticar y tratar a los presos enfermos. Conclusión e implicaciones para la práctica los resultados sugieren una importante situación de la tuberculosis en penitenciarías, lo que trae consigo la necesidad de mejor articulación con el equipo de seguridad para un adecuado desarrollo de las estrategias que posibilitan un diagnóstico temprano y un tratamiento adecuado.