Social representations of nurses on tuberculosis

to describe the social representation of nurses on tuberculosis and identify the implications on nursing care.

qualitative research with the participation of 52 nurses from 23 Basic Health Units of Belém, Pará. A semi-structured interview was conducted with subsequent analysis of the thematic content according to the Theory of Social Representations.

the social representations of tuberculosis were organized into two categories: infection, evidencing the clinical-epidemiological aspects of the disease, and stigma and prejudice, representing the social aspect. Care is affected by fear - a fact that explains the distance adopted by some nurses when handling ill people.

the social representations of nurses on tuberculosis remain grounded in fear, leading professionals to keep a certain distance from patients and generating stigma and prejudice, which may affect adherence to treatment.