ABSTRACT
Objective
To analyse and compare the performance of tuberculosis control services from the perspective of healthcare service users in relation to family centeredness.
Methods
A descriptive, quantitative and qualitative study with 89 patients undergoing TB treatment in the 15th regional health district of Paraná. Data were collected from April to June 2012 using semi-structured interviews. The quantitative data were submitted to variance analysis or to the Kruskal-Wallis test and the qualitative data were subjected to content analysis.
Results
The quantitative data showed that the health units performed better for the indicators ‘healthcare professionals know the people who live with the user’ (p = 0.1340) and ‘evaluation of family members with specific tests’ (p = 0.1430), while the benchmark outpatient units performed better for ‘dialogue with family members about tuberculosis’ (p = 0.5203) and ‘treatment’ (p = 0.4788). Analysis of the qualitative data produced two categories: ‘family involvement in the treatment of tuberculosis’ and ‘disconnection of the health service from the family of patients with tuberculosis’.
Conclusions
Healthcare teams should support and guide the families since they provide the care to patients undergoing tuberculosis treatment.
Tuberculosis; Family; Health services evaluation; Nursing; Millennium Development Goals