Community health workers’ knowledge, attitudes and practices in the detection of respiratory symptomatic patients

Authors: Ana Flavia de Oliveira Ribeiro, Laura Maria Vidal Nogueira, Erlon Gabriel Rego de Andrade, Ivaneide Leal Ataíde Rodrigues, Ingrid Bentes Lima, Breno Augusto Silva Duarte

This study looked at whether community health workers’ knowledge about tuberculosis (TB) affected how they detect patients with respiratory symptoms in primary care in Brazil. Among 129 workers, mostly women aged 40–49, the study found no link between their TB knowledge and their attitudes or practices. This suggests that factors other than knowledge influence how workers carry out TB detection.