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Source: Diario Enfermero

ANA MUÑOZ. – The International Council of Nurses (ICN) recently announced the publication of its updated guidelines directed to nurses working in the field of care and control of tuberculosis, particularly MRD-TB.

In a statement, the body said that these guidelines “had been conceived to help nurses in their important work of detecting cases of tuberculosis, as well as for its treatment and management”. It is, ultimately, about refining organizational issues and establishing a nurse approach that allows planning the care that is provided to these patients in order to improve the quality and access throughout the treatment period.

“Nurses are crucial in the prevention, detection and treatment of tuberculosis and MDR-TB”, explained Frances Hughes, general director of the ICN, who brought to mind that often nurses are the first health professionals with whom patients make contact. Hence these updated guidelines are an invaluable resource when it comes to fighting the disease on the ground. ICN aims to “train nurses so that they can cascade information to their fellow professionals and other health workers in order to improve the delivery of patient care”.

More cases

Tuberculosis has reached epidemic proportions in many parts of the world. According to the data handled and disseminated by CIE, almost one and a half million people die every year due to this disease which, in most cases, may be cured and prevented, even in environments with few resources. Nurses work with TB patients all over the world, and there is an estimated three million of these professionals working or registered in the 22 countries where 80% of cases are concentrated. In most of these areas, they are the main providers and often the only source of health care, despite of working in deficient systems and having poor access to adequate training, supplies and resources.