Primary Health Care and Tuberculosis Detection during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Crucial Actions for Intensifying Efforts

• Published in: International journal of environmental research and public health Vol. 21; no. 5; p. 540
• Main Authors: Ribeiro, Stephanie, Takahashi, Erika Mayumi, Souza, Katia Lacerda de, Yamamoto, Thais Tiemi, Leite, Raquel Russo, Fernandes, Hugo, Okuno, Meiry Fernanda Pinto, Bertolozzi, Maria Rita, Figueiredo, Tânia Maria Ribeiro Monteiro de, Gonzales, Roxana Isabel Cardozo, Hino, Paula
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 25-04-2024
• Subjects: Brazil - epidemiology; COVID-19; COVID-19 - epidemiology; Cross-Sectional Studies; Data analysis; Data collection; Disease transmission; Epidemiology; Health services; Humans; Likert scale; Pandemics; Population; Primary care; Primary Health Care - statistics & numerical data; Public health; Sample size; SARS-CoV-2; Tuberculosis; Tuberculosis - diagnosis; Tuberculosis - epidemiology; Brazil; United States > US; health services research; coronavirus; primary health care; health vulnerability; public health; tuberculosis
• ISSN: 1660-4601; 1661-7827; 1660-4601
• DOI: 10.3390/ijerph21050540

Tuberculosis has been considered a global emergency since 1993, and controlling it has become even more challenging since 2020 due to the health and social crisis resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to identify the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on tuberculosis case detection activities within primary health Care in the largest city in Brazil.
This is a cross-sectional and analytical study on the provision of tuberculosis detection actions in primary healthcare units during the pandemic period. A descriptive analysis was performed for characterization, and Generalized Mixed Models were used for evaluating associations, with a Bonferroni post hoc test applied.
The study sample comprised 80 health units in the municipality. There was a moderate alteration level in the provision of consultations for individuals with signs and symptoms of tuberculosis in 2020 (13.8%) and in 2021 (15.1%). Statistical significance (
< 0.05) was found between the pandemic period and detection actions, with a lower alteration level in 2022.
Tuberculosis detection activities underwent changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic, mainly in 2020, which was associated with alterations in consultation and case notification provision.