Health Program for Therapeutic Culture of Rheumatic Patients at the First Level of Care

Abstract

Introduction: Rheumatic diseases cause conditions that impact the health and economic spheres of society. Care for rheumatic patients lacks a comprehensive approach with a systematic hygienic-sanitary method and non-conventional support therapies to increase their quality of life.

Objective: To evaluate a health program that integrates pharmacological and non-pharmacological dimensions for the development of the therapeutic culture of rheumatic patients in the spa town of San Diego de los Baños.

Methods: With a sample of 25 patients, from the universe of rheumatic patients controlled in Pinar del Rio, a technological development study was carried out in two stages for five years. The first of diagnosis and design of the program followed the action research method and the second of implementation and evaluation used the quasi-experimental method. Document analysis, Delphi method, questionnaire, focus group, Ishikawa diagram, discussion group and brainstorming were used.

Results: The design of the therapeutic culture health program and the definition of therapeutic culture. Its implementation showed favorable changes in all dimensions of quality of life, with significant differences in health and social life, and reflected satisfied or completely satisfied patients.

Conclusions: The evaluation of the health program confirmed the functionality of its didactic components; the convergence of pharmacological and non-pharmacological dimensions in its content, in an environment of social participation, inserted in the community, which allowed favorable changes in the quality of life of rheumatic patients, with high levels of satisfaction.