The importance of the role of nursing for the eradication of tuberculosis in the Brazilian population

Abstract

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the most important concerns in terms
of public health in Brazil. It is transmitted through the airways and
caused by the etiologic agent mycobacterium tuberculosis. Brazil is
among the 22 countries prioritized by the World Health Organization
(WHO) for TB control and corresponds to 80% of the global burden
of the disease. Coughing up blood is the main reason that leads to
seeking medical care. Thus, monitoring the patient with TB during
treatment needs to become a priority, with an emphasis on cultural,
social and psychological factors. The lack of information increasingly
becomes a major cause of patient dropout, while patients often make
the wrong use of medication. Such situation can lead to drug resistance
by the microorganism and hinder the attainment of cure. This
study highlighted the importance of care and monitoring of nursing in
the continuity and evolution of treatment for patients suffering from
TB, considering that the public health policies aim at eliminating the
illness in the long term. All analyzed papers and articles make it clear
that the participation of the nurse is the key element of the health
policies to heal and possibly eliminate the disease in the population.
Therefore, the study suggests the need for continuous education involving
educational psychology, along with nurse training in integrative,
complementary, motivating and multidisciplinary care, aiming at
joint techniques and activities alongside health agents, thus making
the connection between health professionals and patients.