Interaction between patient and health care professionals in the management of tuberculosis

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of health care services in the management of tuberculosis in Ribeirao Preto, SP, during the year of 2007 in promoting interaction between patient and health care professionals. Methods: An adapted questionnaire that contains 10 indicators of interaction was used. The sample consisted of 100 patients with tuberculosis. Results: More than 60% of patients reported they engaged in conversations about other issues besides tuberculosis with their health care professionals. The majority of the sample (90%) reported they have enough time to clarify their questions about the treatment of tuberculosis. More than 50% of patients from each outpatient clinic reported to contact their physician when they were in need for food or transportation voucher. Conclusion: The structure of the delivery of health care by specialized health care teams from the "Programs for Tuberculosis Control" had good indicators of interaction between patient and health care professionals, which may contribute to the identification of patients' needs and searching for resources to address those needs.