Quality of tuberculosis information systems after record linkage

ABSTRACT Objective: to analyze the quality of a tuberculosis notification information system after record linkage and spatial and temporal distribution of tuberculosis in a Brazilian state. Method: an ecological study carried between 2006 and 2016 in Sergipe, Brazil. A deterministic linkage was performed with Notifiable Diseases Information System and Mortality Information System, recording 7,873 cases and 483 deaths. The temporal trend of tuberculosis incidence was calculated. Results: there was an increase among men (2.75%), > 60 years (6.29%), higher education (4.34%) and indigenous (4.76%). A total of 190 new cases (2.9%) was found. There was an increasing trend in tuberculosis incidence with a concentration of deaths in the metropolitan region. Conclusion: the quality of the information system showed fragility in identifying cases and deaths in Sergipe. Temporal distribution showed an increasing trend in tuberculosis incidence, and spatial distribution identified higher incidences in southeastern Brazil.