Atuação do enfermeiro no controle de anseníase na atenção primária à saúde: uma visão sobre as publicações entre 1988 e 2009

Abstract

Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease and a major public health problem in Brazil and several countries in the world. Brazil remains the second country in number of cases in the world after India. This study proposes a review of the literature about the role of the nurse in leprosy control in Primary Health Care. This research was conducted to help professionals and researchers involved with the care of leprosy patients in primary care, by synthesizing the knowledge about the role of nurses in the control of leprosy in Primary Care. We conducted a review of the available scientific evidence in the literature focusing on nurses' involvement in Primary Health Care with leprosy control. Twenty-eight articles published in Portuguese or English were identified and fully analyzed and accessed through the databases SciELO, Lilacs, Pubmed / Medline. We identified articles published between 1988 and 2009 using the descriptors Primary Health Care, Nursing and Leprosy. The review showed the importance of nursing staff in disease control, as well as its role in the identification of needs from multiple domains that relate to the health-disease process, facilitating joint operations with the multidisciplinary team and helping elucidate the concepts and myths about the disease. In addition, the nursing professional the complex profiles of health and disease in the community, fostering patients independence, quality of life and autonomy. However, the study also showed that professionals have difficulties in caring for patients with leprosy and controlling the disease, since access to services and stigma created around the disease are still present.