Coordination of health care provided to patients with tuberculosis: perception of different participants, 2007

Author(s)

Elisangela Gisele de Assis

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: Ribeirão Preto.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Escola de Enfermagem de Ribeirão Preto (PCARP/BC)
• Defense date: 2010-02-05

Examining board members

Pedro Fredemir Palha; Simone Teresinha Protti

• Advisor: Tereza Cristina Scatena Villa

Abstract

The objective of this investigation was to analyze the coordination of health care provided to patients with tuberculosis (TB) in Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, 2007. A closed questionnaire was administered among 100 TB patients, 16 professionals, and 17 administrators of basic health units (BHU) located in the referred city. Twenty-seven indicators were created with the elaboration of means, and analyzed using Statistica 8.0 (Statsoft). Group comparisons were performed using parametric and nonparametric tests. Charts were designed to show the means and confidence intervals. Results show that the coordination indicators (14) were in most part evaluated as concordant and satisfactory by the informants. The participant indicators (13) were mostly evaluated as discordant and unsatisfactory, especially for the patients and administrators groups. Discussion: regarding the coordination of health care, the informants acknowledge that PCT treatment compliance occurs under a protocol that permits continuing care to be delivered to TB patients during the treatment process, however, it was observed there were interruptions in the information flow in the reference and contra-reference process, in addition to the need to improve patient participation in the decision-making process of the treatment and encourage co-responsibility among professionals regarding patient care. It was identified that there is a need to strengthen the active search of symptomatic individuals; BHU administrators lack knowledge regarding continuing actions and treatment support (medical appointments, basic food basket and transport tickets), which evidences the need for administrators to become aware of the responsibilities assigned to primary care at the units under their management; the inexistence of groups to encourage and support TB patients since the educational process requires their active participation; and disagreement among authors in terms of home visits and the frequency of supervised treatment, which is evidence of its need to be improved as a health care technology. By improving health care coordination it is possible to make relevant contributions to the construction of a flexible model founded on the integration of TB care with a view to improving patient participation. (AU)