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Jean Macq

Publications and source records attributed to Jean Macq.

5 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

An exploration of the social stigma of tuberculosis in five "municipios" of Nicaragua to reflect on local interventions.

OBJECTIVE: The social stigma of tuberculosis is much less studied than those of other diseases such as AIDS or mental problems. However, it has important implications on the affected person's well being and on the epidemic's control. Our study aims at exploring this social stigma in five local health systems of Nicaragua, prior to implementing interventions to reduce it. METHODS: Through in-depth interviews and focus groups involving stakeholders in the care of people affected by tuberculosis (PATBs), we analysed interactions between PATBs and family members, first line government health services' personnel, and community members. RESULTS: According to our results, the interaction between stakeholders and PATBs can be described as the intersection between two sets of contradictory feelings and attitudes: (a) feelings of affection and supportive attitudes toward PATBs opposed to the fear of being infected or that PATBs will infect others and, (b) confidence in PATBs considered to be unlucky opposed to mistrust of PATBs considered to be negligent. PATBs react against this mainly by hiding their condition which leads them to a, loss of confidence and depression. This intricate group of feelings and attitudes is influenced by two sets of determinants related to domination and power between stakeholders and issues of knowledge and information. CONCLUSION: Analysing tuberculosis-related social stigma as a social process enabled us to better understand some key social structural factors of health care system's organisation and identify locally acceptable interventions to reduce such stigma. The fact of analysing, in a more thorough study, some interventions in the currently changing social structural context of health care systems in Nicaragua will give us a better insight into the relevance of our analysis and the interventions' effectiveness in reducing the social stigma of tuberculosis.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Informing the TB suspect for sputum sample collection and communicating laboratory results in Nicaragua: a neglected process in tuberculosis case finding.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the patient information process before sputum sample collection, the quality of sputum sample and transmission of acid-fast bacilli (AFB) examination results to TB suspects, in three local areas of Nicaragua. METHODS: (a) directed interviews of consecutive series of TB suspects whose sputum had been examined for AFB; (b) directed interview of health personnel; and (c) assessment of the sputum sample quality. RESULTS: A total of 115 TB suspects and 33 health personnel were interviewed and 625 sputum samples were assessed. Results show multiple weaknesses in the process of information to the patient during sputum collections, as well as in the communication of results. CONCLUSIONS: This study unveiled an aspect usually overlooked of case finding, that is, the information process during sputum production, sputum sample quality, and the communication of results to the TB suspects. The results illustrate the need for routine assessment of the whole diagnostic process.

Adolescent↗