Indicators to assess the quality of programs to prevent occupational risk for tuberculosis: are they feasible?

OBJECTIVE: to analyze the feasibility of quality indicators for evaluation of hospital programs for preventing occupational tuberculosis. METHOD: a descriptive cross-sectional study. We tested indicators for evaluating occupational tuberculosis prevention programs in six hospitals. The criterion to define feasibility was the time spent to calculate the indicators. RESULTS: time spent to evaluate the indicators ranged from 2h 52min to 15h11min 24sec. The indicator for structure evaluation required less time; the longest time was spent on process indicators, including the observation of healthcare workers' practices in relation to the use of N95 masks. There was an hindrance to test one of the indicators for tuberculosis outcomes in five situations, due to the lack of use of tuberculin skin test in these facilities. The time requires to calculate indicators in regarding to the outcomes for occupational tuberculosis largely depends upon the level of organizational administrative structure for gathering data. CONCLUSIONS: indicators to evaluate the structure for occupational tuberculosis prevention are highly feasible. Nevertheless, the feasibility of indicators for process and outcome is limited due to relevant variations in administrative issues at healthcare facilities.