title: Social representations of nurses on tuberculosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  to describe the social representation of nurses on tuberculosis and identify the implications on nursing care.
  
  
  METHODS
  qualitative research with the participation of 52 nurses from 23 Basic Health Units of Belém, Pará. A semi-structured interview was conducted with subsequent analysis of the thematic content according to the Theory of Social Representations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  the social representations of tuberculosis were organized into two categories: infection, evidencing the clinical-epidemiological aspects of the disease, and stigma and prejudice, representing the social aspect. Care is affected by fear - a fact that explains the distance adopted by some nurses when handling ill people.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  the social representations of nurses on tuberculosis remain grounded in fear, leading professionals to keep a certain distance from patients and generating stigma and prejudice, which may affect adherence to treatment.
authors.affiliation: Curso de Enfermagem, Universidade do Estado do Pará, Belém, PA, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ivaneide Leal Ataíde
authors.initials: IL
authors.lastname: Rodrigues
authors.affiliation: Escola de Enfermagem Anna Nery, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
authors.forename: Maria Catarina Salvador da
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Motta
authors.affiliation: Escola de Enfermagem Anna Nery, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
authors.forename: Márcia de Assunção
authors.initials: Mde A
authors.lastname: Ferreira
mesh_terms: D001294:Attitude to Health; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009729:Nursing; D012938:Social Perception; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000451:nursing