Peculiarities of tuberculosis control in a scenario of urban violence in a disadvantaged community in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
OBJECTIVE
To describe the difficulties and peculiarities encountered by health professionals during the treatment and investigation of contacts of tuberculosis (TB) patients in disadvantaged communities.


METHODS
A qualitative study carried out at health care facilities in Health Programming Area 1.0, located in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which has a TB incidence rate of 240/100,000 inhabitants. From among the professionals responsible for visiting and treating TB cases and their contacts, two home visit agents and one clinical nurse were selected to be interviewed for the study. Data were transcribed and structured in the form of quotations, emphasizing the predominant ideas.


RESULTS
The central ideas focus on the issue of violence, one significant facet of which is the set of rules imposed by narcotraffickers, and on the barriers to the movement of patients/health professionals for TB treatment, as well as on public safety (police).


CONCLUSIONS
This study provides public health officials, as well as institutions that graduate health professionals, data for reflection and analysis of the difficulties that urban violence creates for the control of TB in a disadvantaged community.
Souza
Fabiana Barbosa Assumpção de
FB
Escola de Enfermagem Alfredo Pinto, Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil. fabsouza@centroin.com.br
Villa
Tereza Cristina Scatena
TC
Cavalcante
Solange Cesar
SC
Ruffino Netto
Antonio
A
Lopes
Luciane Blanco
LB
Conde
Marcus Barreto
MB
D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D003068:Coercion; D016358:Contact Tracing; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000523:psychology*; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D013287:Illicit Drugs; D009726:Nurses / Q000523:psychology; D016495:Police; D011204:Poverty Areas; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014504:Urban Health; D014754:Violence
D013287:Illicit Drugs