[The life quality of the people with tuberculosis in observed taking administration]

The World Health Organization assumed, since 1993, Tuberculosis, as a world emergency. The control of the disease is implemented by the strategy DOTS (Direct Observed Therapy Short Course) through standardized treatments, in administration of observed taking (TOD) in order to maximize the success of the treatment and to avoid the multi resistance. The monitorization of the problems lived by these patients is still little known. The present study is a descriptive and cross-sectional study. The sample consisted of a 151 users of five Pneumologics Diagnostics Centres of the Oporto district (Portugal). The purposes of this study was to investigate the life quality of the people with Pulmonary Tuberculosis in administration of observed taking and its relation with the descriptive variables, socio-economic and clinic variables. The data was collected by: i) a bio and a clinical questionnaire, ii) the SF-36. The mean values of the life quality swing between 31.3 in the Vitality domain and 68.4 in the Physical Pain domain. The younger persons present better levels of life quality in Health in General and in the Performance Physical, occurring the inverse in the Social Performance. The data suggest a fragile life quality in what concerns the Vitality level (31.3), Mental Health (36.7) and Physic Performance (39.7). This study makes possible the future focus in the adjustment of the health services to the users' necessities, being able to optimize the approval to the treatment, increasing the therapeutic success, contributing this way to the disease control.