ASSESSMENT OF THE CARE PROVIDED TO PATIENTS WITH VENOUS ULCERS TREATED BY THE FAMILY HEALTH PROGRAM IN NATAL, BRAZIL

Abstract

This is a descriptive study aimed at assessing the care provided to patients with venous ulcers (VU) treated at Family Health Units (FHU). The target population was composed of 74 VU patients treated by Family Health Program teams at the 31 FHUs. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (Protocol no. 55/05). Data collection, by means of a structured interview, was performed at the patients' home and at the FHUs. The following variables were analyzed to assess the care provided: VU diagnosis, angiologist consultation, use of compress therapy, adequate topical therapy, dressing kit, caregiver training, FHP team follow-up, pain treatment, laboratory examinations and treatment continuity. The data were organized on an Excel column chart and transferred to SPSS software, version 14.0 for descriptive and inferential analyses (Binomial test with p < 0.05). Care was characterized as inadequate (90.5%), determined by the absence of: compress therapy (100.0%), adequate topical therapy (98.6%, p = 0.000), dressing kit (70.3%, p = 0.001), caregiver training (67.6%, p = 0.003), angiologist consultation (63.5%, p = 0.027), laboratory examinations (55.4%), FHP team follow-up (51.4%), VU diagnosis (47.3%), pain treatment (29.7%, p = 0.001) and treatment continuity (24.3%, p = 0.000). The results show that the care provided at the FHUs studied was unsystematic, with little problem solving, and judged to be inadequate.