Nursing practices centered on individuals with tuberculosis: an interface with democracy

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Public Health
• Health Systems Research

Background:

• User-centered care is crucial for effective Tuberculosis Directly Observed Treatment (TB DOT).
• Assessing the implementation and democratic contribution of these practices is essential for health system improvement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the extent of user-centered nursing practices in TB DOT.
• To determine if these practices contribute to democratic principles in healthcare settings.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional, exploratory, and descriptive study design.
• Involved 123 nurses across three high-incidence TB municipalities in Brazil.
• Utilized descriptive and multiple correspondence analyses for data interpretation.

Main Results:

• Most user-centered care actions scored below 50%, indicating unfavorable conditions for democracy.
• Manaus and João Pessoa showed unfavorable results in general user-centered practice scores.
• Porto Alegre presented partially favorable results, suggesting variability in implementation.

Conclusions:

• Significant advancements are required in implementing user-centered practices within TB DOT programs.
• Health systems in the studied municipalities face challenges that hinder optimal patient-centered care delivery.
• Further efforts are needed to strengthen user-centered approaches in TB treatment adherence.