Directly observed treatment for tuberculosis in the State of São Paulo

ABSTRACT Objectives: To describe and analyze the coverage profile of directly observed treatment for tuberculosis in 59 priority municipalities in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, through the creation and comparison of groups homogenized by the number of people in each municipality from 2006 to 2012. Method: Quantitative, epidemiological and descriptive study based on the data available in the EPI-TB and the Statistica 7.0 software databases. Results: The mean and standard deviation of directly observed treatment for the 59 priority municipalities of the state of São Paulo were 77.0 ± 24.3%. The coverage of directly observed treatment increased in 34 municipalities (57.6%) but decreased in 25 (42.4%). Conclusion: Some municipalities could not keep the coverage reached at some point. This coverage heterogeneity should be examined in detail by searching for possible reasons in political-management, technical-operational and funding dimensions.