Supervised treatment in tuberculosis control: potentialities and fragilities in the nurse’s perception

Abstract

The supervised treatment (TS) is featured as one of the columns of the strategy DOTS (Directly Observed Treatment) it is an important tool to therapeutic adhesion of people with tuberculosis. The research´s objective is to analyze potentialities and fragilities of the ST, in perception of the nurse of the health family program. The qualitative nature research was chosen, done in the sanitary district of João Pessoa – PB in the year 2006. Nine female nurses who worked in health family units (HFU) took part of the study and made the supervised treatment of tuberculosis. Data were collected with semi-structured interview, and to analyzes, the technique of analyzes of content in the modality thematic was used. The fragilities identified were: Lack of incentives for operation of ST, the stigma of the disease, abandon of treatment and difficulty to do the laboratory exams. The potentialities identified were: free medication, decentralization of the ST to the HFU and relation of acceptance and link between the user-professional. The ST is featured as a technique able to enlarge the capacity of interaction and operation of the nurse professional, however it is detached the necessity of ensuring mechanisms that privilege bigger accessibility and integrality of the attention.