NURSING DIFFICULTIES IN LEPROSY MANAGEMENT IN PRIMARY CARE

Abstract

In the last decade, Brazil presented a reduction of 37.1% in the number of new cases of leprosy, from 40,100 diagnosed in 2007 to 25,2 thousand in 2016. This reduction corresponds to the fall of 42, 3% of the country's general detection rate (from 21.19 / 100 thousand inhabitants in 2007 to 12.23 / 100 thousand inhabitants in 2016). Of the total number of new cases registered, 1.6 thousand (6.72%) were diagnosed in children under 15 years old, signaling active outbreaks of infection and recent transmission, and 7,2 thousand started treatment with some disability, of which 1,7 thousand with Degree of Physical Disability 2. This study had as general objective to demonstrate the difficulties of nursing in the Management of Leprosy in Primary Care. Among the specific objectives the research aims to verify the impact and consequences of the insecurity and the lack of conditions for the adequate care to patients with leprosy diagnosis and to highlight the importance of nursing care in primary health for the early diagnosis. An integrative research was carried out, where 14 articles were used that demonstrated the main difficulties in the management of leprosy. The results showed that the most published years were in 2010 and 2018, with four publications respectively. Some regions, such as the north, northeast and center-west, with lower purchasing power, the incidence is increasing, making precocious diagnosis precarious. It was verified that the knowledge about the disease shows itself to be fragile, directly impacting the diagnosis and treatment. The treatment of leprosy remains insufficient due to its non - adhesion. Surveillance is fragile in the leprosy control process and in the conclusion of the treatment, thus interfering in the early abandonment of the medication by these patients. It was also concluded that most of the cases of death in the endemic regions occurred due to complications of leprosy, and that large parts of these deaths were of males, elderly people and people of brown or black color, with a low level of education.