Avaliação do sistema de vigilância da tuberculose do Estado do Ceará no período de 2014 a 2023

Abstract

Tuberculosis is an infectious and communicable disease that must be reported through the Notifiable Diseases Information System. This study aimed to evaluate the Tuberculosis Surveillance System in the state of Ceará, Brazil. It is an evaluative study with a cross-sectional, descriptive, and retrospective design. Using publicly available data, the analysis focused on representativeness, completeness, and consistency. Of the 42.830 tuberculosis cases reported in Ceará from 2014 to 2023, 67.2% (n=28.803) occurred in males. Regarding race/skin color, a significant concentration of cases was observed among individuals identified as mixed race, accounting for 77.26% (n=33.090) of all cases. New cases represented the most frequent entry type, comprising 78.85% (n=33.772). Pulmonary tuberculosis was the predominant clinical form, with 85.65% (n=36.683) of the reported cases during the study period. In terms of completeness, 60.00% (n=18) of the thirty (30) variables analyzed were classified as excellent. Among the ten (10) essential field variables, 40% (n=4) were also classified as excellent. Notably, among the eight (8) variables classified as poor, i.e., 50–79% completeness, 75.00% (n=6) belonged to the tuberculosis follow-up form. Regarding data consistency, 66.66% (n=2) of the three (3) variables analyzed were classified as excellent. Only the variable "treatment start date ≥ notification date" was classified as poor. Overall, the findings indicate persistent gaps in the recording of socioeconomic data. The analysis revealed that the tuberculosis surveillance system in Ceará demonstrates moderate consistency and good overall data completeness. However, when disaggregating the evaluation across the different reporting instruments used in the system, discrepancies were identified that warrant attention. Specifically, the notification form showed good completeness, while the follow-up form demonstrated only regular completeness. This finding highlights weaknesses in the consolidation of information throughout patient follow-up, which may compromise both the continuity of care and the reliability of data used for assessing service performance indicators.