Evaluation of the performance of Tuberculosis Control Programs in Brazil and Spain: an integrative review of the literature.

This is an integrative review of the literature, which sought to locate evidence regarding the evaluation of the performance of tuberculosis control programs in the Brazilian and Spanish contexts. Articles indexed in databases, search directories and virtual libraries produced in Brazil and Spain from 2002 to 2013 were selected. A total of 17 articles (9 Brazilian and 8 Spanish) were included for analysis. The intention was to identify program evaluation concepts, methodologies and indicators for TB control program evaluation in both countries. In the Spanish context, a concern with results-oriented management and the attempt to develop broader indicators for the assessment of a series of health programs, including those related to tuberculosis control, was identified. The Brazilian references showed greater proximity to the classic methods of evaluation research, and a greater variety of objects of study regarding the activities expected in a control program. The findings highlight the complexity of program evaluation activities, which involve multiple and diverse stakeholders, and point to the need for integration of epidemiological and operational indicators in tuberculosis.