Bond in the management of tuberculosis in Primary Health Care: the perspective of health professionals

Abstract

The way in which health units belonging to Primary Health Care (PHC) are organized is considered a potential element in promoting the construction of bond between professionals and tuberculosis (TB) patients. The objective was to analyze the bond TB patients have with the care management in PHC in the city of Porto Velho, RO, from the perspective of health professionals. This is a descriptive, survey-type study, carried out cross-sectionally from a quantitative approach, with nurses, doctors, nursing technicians/assistants and Community Health Agents, through an interview using the dimension concerning bond in the questionnaire Primary Care Assessment Tool (PCATool), which has the Likert scale as response categories, and was analyzed by classifying the average scores as unsatisfactory (values between one and two), regular (around three), or satisfactory (between four and five), after complying with the ethical precepts. 266 health professionals were interviewed, whose perspectives, regardless of the professional category, was generally satisfactory toward bond, in relation to the coresponsibility of TB cases, acceptability and need for incentives, as well as the evaluation of the health team work process. However, it was shown to be regular regarding the stigma of the disease, which makes it difficult to change the teams' work process in order to enhance bilateral relationships. In view of these findings, the need to recognize that TB affects all aspects of life and that the focus of longitudinal care must underlie all other factors related to treatment is identified.

Keywords

• tuberculosis. user embracement. professional-patient relations. health services research. primary health care.