Nurses’ records on guidance for users with tuberculosis in Primary Health Care

Abstract

Objective To evaluate the completeness of nurses’ records on guidance given to users with tuberculosis (TB) followed in Primary Health Care (PHC). Methods This was a documentary and retrospective study whose population consisted of all records of new TB cases reported in Family Health Units in a municipality (State of Paraíba) in the period 2015-2019. The study was conducted from July to September 2020 with a sample of 190 medical records selected by systematic proportional and probabilistic sampling. The R software for statistical analysis was used with a 5% significance level, employing descriptive statistics, Pareto Chart, and trend analysis. Results In assessing the completeness of the guidance record about nutrition, treatment, and consultations given by nurses for patients with TB, 60% of the indicators were classified as very poor. The Pareto Chart highlighted guidance on food and treatment as the main problems in the record, representing more than 50% of the total incompleteness. The trend models showed increasing statistical evidence for the incompleteness of the guidance on consultations indicator (p=0.016) and a growing statistical trend for the incompleteness of the guidance on exams and consultations indicators. In contrast, guidance on nutrition and exams showed a decreasing trend in incompleteness. Conclusion Records showed inadequate completeness accompanied by an increasing trend for incompleteness in the registration of guidance for users with TB in PHC. This scenario points to the urgency of intervention measures in Public Health to improve TB monitoring in PHC.