Communication

A variety of notions about the management of the disease may be broken if international discussions and ideas are shared and implemented. Research on the management of tuberculosis patients to retain the ailment is necessary. Alongside this, doctors need to understand their personal needs as essential to effectively managing the disease. The need to return to work, confidentiality regarding the diagnosis due to possibility of loss of employment, rejection by the family and social group are just a few of the fears the diagnosis of tuberculosis brings with it.

Self management

The medical fraternity is the first set of people to whom the possibility of prevention of risk to their own persons must be demonstrated. A set of necessary processes to ensure minimal direct contact with the tuberculosis patients must be chalked out at a central authority and implemented across health centres. International standards in caring for the medical teams must be followed. Similarly, if the patient is to be taken care of in the house, the difficulties of the patient must be made known to the family. The pain, discomfort and loss of appetite that is shown in tuberculosis patients may lead to stressful situations to the other family members. Besides this, regular contact may lead to the spread of the disease in some cases. Family members must get checked for the prevalence of latent tuberculosis in themselves.

Communication

When communicating the implications of the disease, the care givers must be sensitive to the reactions of the family while reiterating the need that all members require to be tested for tuberculosis. This distress is worsened with the need for all individuals who have had contact with the family having to be checked for the presence of the bacteria. In such cases, discretion is dangerous since it can lead to an outbreak of tuberculosis.

Patient care

The possibility of loss of place in the family hierarchy, the fear of the effects of loss of livelihood and the incarceration on account of tuberculosis form barriers in the mind. The patient may reject the diagnosis and try to return to normalcy without maintaining the necessary discipline of taking medication. The loss of acceptance in social circles for the period of the disease and sometimes afterwards leads tuberculosis to a feeling of depression and loneliness. An effective approach to tuberculosis patient care must include an understanding of the emotional state.

Poor facilities

The prevalence of health care facilities with insufficient medicines and lack of space is a common phenomenon in poverty ridden areas. The absence of medicine comes in the way of preventing a tuberculosis epidemic while the absence of space makes isolation a difficult remedy. The rejection of the family by the local populace is a real possibility due to the fear of the disease spreading by air. Some patients may reach a stage of giving up and return to their old habits of alcoholism and drug addiction further endangering themselves and the lives of surrounding people.

Treatment

The traditional treatment of tuberculosis used to involve long periods of complete bed rest and isolation from society. Hill-side sanatoriums were considered suitable for the recovery of tuberculosis patients. This is no longer the case. Patients are allowed to return to work once the course of the treatment has begun. The bacteria are virulent before treatment starts and are effectively countered if the treatment is strictly followed.

Medicines

Strong doses of antibiotics are utilised to counter the various strains of possible tuberculosis bacteria in patients. The mix of medicines is maintained for a nine month period to ensure that the tuberculosis infection is completely wiped out of the body. Bodily secretions may be tested on a regular basis to ensure that the right bacterial strain is being targeted by the medication. The medicines may be changed at regular intervals to provide a multi-lateral attack on the organism.

Predisposition

Apart from the profile of poor people, teachers who are exposed to regular chalk dust entering their lungs and people who work in certain mines and factories are prone to the development of tuberculosis. Patients who undergo tremendous stress in their work life may find the development of the symptoms after a severe bout of infection. Children and adults may develop tuberculosis despite being in hygienic surroundings and consuming healthy food. Entire populations from poor countries are believed to harbour the bacteria in their bodies and this leads to the bacterial activity starting under stressful or suitable conditions.

How it works

The development of the disease is slow because the bacteria grow slowly. Often the disease appears as a mild form of ailment and the only issue is that of continuing tiredness. There are two types of tuberculosis- one that is virulent and another that remains within the body without manifesting symptoms or causing the spread of the ailment. Tuberculosis bacteria are constantly mutating and appear in strains that are resistant to known lines of treatment. Doctors often prescribe a mix of drugs to counter the problem.

Side effects

The tuberculosis medicine will play havoc with the digestive system and can leave the patient feeling lethargic. The patient may lose interest in activity and prefers to rest for long hours in the course of a day. Some tuberculosis patients experience skin discoloration and the appearance of many topical eruptions that take time to heal. The medication affects the effectiveness of contraception and calls for alternate measures. The course prescribed does not allow for alcohol consumption since it reduces the effect of the medicine.

Habit patterns

Tuberculosis patients are often advised to develop personal tools to remember the timing of their medication. This is an important part of the tuberculosis patient’s health plan. Timely medication and correct food consumption habits are necessary for complete cure to take effect. Patients, who tend to forget their treatment, attend social gatherings that compromise their treatment due to incorrect food and fluid consumption must know to plan their meals in a way that avoids mistakes in the cure regimen.