TUBERCULOSIS TREATMENT UNDER THE OPTICS OF PRIMARY HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS

Abstract

Access to health, especially Primary Health Care (APS) is fundamental for strengthening the Unified Health System (SUS). As a public health problem the control of tuberculosis (TB) depends on this organizational and performance aspect that refers to the first stage of the pathway performed by the user when it seeks to satisfy a health need. In view of this, the objective was to analyze the actions and strategies for the treatment of TB in PHC in the city of Porto Velho-RO, under the perspective of health professionals. Descriptive, cross-sectional study and quantitative approach. The data collection was done through interviews conducted by signing the Informed Consent Term (TCLE), with the version for health professionals of the form "Primary Care Assessment Tool" (PCATool), whose response category varies according to the Likert scale. The data were analyzed by means of descriptive statistics, after approval of the Research Ethics Committee, according to opinion 2,585,934 CEP/UNIR. A total of 401 health professionals were interviewed during the data collection. However, 120 were excluded and 15 others refused to participate. Thus, 266 professionals were interviewed, being 119 ACS, 77 nursing technicians/assistants, 43 nurses and 27 doctors, obtaining an average of the overall score equal to 3.15 (sometimes) and 3.99 (almost always) for the dimension of access to treatment and vocational training, respectively. There was a lack of knowledge about the access barriers faced by users. In their statements, there are differences between professional categories, which shows the fragmentation of care. In this sense, it is essential to extend training to all members of the health team and associate it with the social context of the community.