Publicación:

Determinants of the access to health services and adherence to tb treatment; Determinantes del acceso a los servicios de salud y adherencia al tratamiento de la tuberculosis

Resumen

Introduction: The fundamental role of a health system is to respond to the needs of the population, which involves developing mechanisms that enable a comprehensive, accessible and equitable delivery of its services. Objectives: Assess access barriers to health care and adherence in TB patients in a high-burden region of Peru. Methods: Mixed-approach research conducted in the period January to September 2018 in 120 TB patients. For the quantitative approach, an analytical cross-sectional study was conducted, where questions on access to health services were addressed using the Tanahashi model. Adherence to treatment was measured through the Morisky-Green test. For qualitative design, the focus group methodology with 30 patients was used to deepen in their experiences of access determinants. Results: Most barriers were identified in the following dimensions: acceptability, contact and availability. An association was found between adherence to treatment and the following indicators: the fear or shame of being attended in a health service, mistrust with health teams, perception of poor quality of care, lack of awareness of the disease, side effects of medications, the number and size of the pills. Conclusions: The findings of this study suggest contextual and health system barriers that prevent access to TB patients, and if these are not taken into account, they could hinder adherence to TB treatment. However, acting within a logic that favors patient-centered care, considering its uniqueness and autonomy from the therapeutic process can become a difficult task for health services where demand exceeds the resources and their structure. © 2021 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.