A importância das ações realizadas pelo enfermeiro no controle da hanseníase: revisão integrativa

In Brazil, leprosy is a neglected endemic disease, which, associated with sanitary conditions and poverty, represents a public health problem. Considering that the nurse acts directly in the care, prevention and treatment of leprosy, the following question arose: What is the importance of the actions taken by the nurse in the control of leprosy? Thus, in order to answer the research problem, the objective was to understand the importance of the actions taken by nurses in the control of leprosy. To this end, a descriptive study was carried out, with a qualitative approach, such as an integrative literature review, from January to May 2021. The search and survey of articles was carried out in the databases of the Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online, Latin American and Caribbean Literature in Health Sciences and the Nursing Database via the Virtual Health Library. The crucial role of the nursing professional in the implementation of policies for the control and treatment of leprosy patients is notorious, as far as these professionals work directly with the care adjacent to the needy communities, understanding their needs and devising strategies to solve possible impasses. Therefore, it is stated about the importance of the actions taken by nurses in the control of leprosy, with early identification, monitoring of cases and, above all, breaking the social stigma still present in society being of fundamental importance. For this, it is necessary to develop and implement strategies to detect new cases early, in addition to adherence to treatment by the user, so that leprosy can be effectively controlled in the country.