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Tuberculosis: Epidemiology, Reporting, and the Community Health Nurse Role

Free nursing sample applying epidemiology to tuberculosis: chain of infection, social determinants, NTCA role, and community nurse responsibilities.

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Assignment Prompt

The purpose of this assignment is to discuss concepts of epidemiology and apply nursing theories and research to a communicable disease. Refer to "Communicable Disease Chain," "Chain of Infection," and the CDC websites, all located in the topic Resources, for assistance when completing this assignment. Choose a communicable disease topic from the resources mentioned above or you may select one from the list below: - Chickenpox - Tuberculosis - Influenza - Mononucleosis - Hepatitis B - HIV - Ebola - Measles - Polio - E. coli - Salmonella - Listeria - Hepatitis A - SARS-CoV-2 - Monkeypox - Dengue - Botulism - Norovirus Write a paper (1,000-1,500 words) in which you apply the concepts of epidemiology and nursing to research a communicable disease. Refer to "Communicable Disease Chain," "Chain of Infection," and the CDC websites, located in the topic Resources, for assistance when completing this assignment. 1. Describe the chosen communicable disease, including causes, symptoms, mode of transmission, complications, treatment, and the demographic of interest (mortality, morbidity, incidence, and prevalence). 2. Explain why this is a reportable disease. Provide details about reporting criteria. 3. Describe the social determinants of health and how those factors contribute to the development of the chosen communicable disease. 4. Discuss the epidemiologic triangle as it relates to the communicable disease you have selected. Include the host factors, agent factors (presence or absence), and environmental factors. 5. Identify any special considerations or notifications for the epidemiologic triangle (community, schools, or general population). 6. Explain the importance of demographic data to community health. 7. Describe the role of the community health nurse in primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention through tasks such as case finding, reporting, data collection, analysis, and follow-up. Provide an example of how Christian worldview can be integrated by a community health nurse when working with a population impacted by the communicable disease selected. 8. Identify at least one national agency or organization that addresses the communicable disease chosen and describe how the organizations contribute to resolving or reducing the impact of disease. 9. Discuss a global implication of the disease. How is this addressed in other countries or cultures? Is this disease endemic to a particular area? Provide an example.

Introduction

A communicable disease refers to any disease that can be passed between animals or people. Communicable diseases are also referred to as transmissible or infectious diseases. The causative agents of communicable diseases can be classified into protozoa, fungi, viruses, and bacteria. This paper describes the communicable disease, if it is a reportable disease, social determinants of health of the disease, epidemiologic triangle of disease, special considerations of the disease, importance of demographic data, roles of the community health nurses, national organization that addresses the disease and global implications of the disease.

Description of Communicable Disease

The chosen communicable disease is Tuberculosis. There are three levels of Tuberculosis; Primary TB, Latent TB, Active TB, and Active TB outside the lungs. Primary TB is the initial stage of the infection and at this stage; the body is able to fight infections. In latent TB, there are germs in the body and the immune system prevents them from spreading further. Active TB is when the germs multiply making a person to be sicker. Active TB outside the lungs is where an active TB infection spreads from the lungs to the other parts of the body (Shaban, 2023). There are various symptoms that are common across the different types of TB and they are persistent cough, coughing blood, chest pain, fever, chills, night sweats, weight loss, and loss of appetite. TB is an airborne disease that is spread when a person with TB sneezes, coughs, sings, laughs, or talks releasing small droplets containing germs. TB is treated using a combination of medicines such as pyrazinamide, isoniazid, ethambutol, and rifampin. Complications of TB are lung damage, joint damage, and kidney or liver problems of the infection on the brain, spinal cord, bone, and lymph nodes. In 2022, there were 8,300 TB cases reported in the United States. This increased from 7874 in 2021 and this represents an increase to 2.5 per 100,000 persons (Schildknecht et al., 2023).

Reportable Disease

Any case of suspected or active TB should be reported within 1 day in the TB-controlled sections. A report should be made on any patient that has started any multi-drug therapy. There are various ways in which TB can be reported. An initial report can be made by calling (628) 206-3398 within 24 hours. This can be done from Monday to Friday from 8:00 A.m. to 5:00 P.m. (Department of Public Health, City and County of San Francisco, 2023). The report should consist of progress or consult notes, confidentiality morbidity reports, laboratory reports on pathology results, sputum cultures, baseline labs, IGRA, and radiology reports.

Social Determinants of Health

Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) are the factors that affect the places where people are born, live, age, play, worship, and learn. SDOH affects the functioning of the people and how the activities that they participate in enhance or impede their quality of life. One of the social determinants of health that presents a risk factor for Tuberculosis is Poverty. Poorly ventilated and crowded living conditions are related to poverty which contributes directly to the risk factors for the occurrence of a disease (WHO, n.d). Poverty contributes to undernutrition which impairs an individual immunity and this can contribute to active TB. Additionally, poverty is associated with the lack of empowerment to act on the available health knowledge and poor general health knowledge, and this leads to increased exposure to TB risk factors such as smoking.

Epidemiologic Triangle

The causative agent of TB is mycobacterium. This agent is found in the lungs of the host and can spread to other parts of the body such as the spinal cord, kidneys, and brain (Behr, 2021). There are various characteristics of the host that make it prone to TB such as having diseases that impair their immunity such as diabetes, cancer, and HIV, and careers that expose one to the disease such as nursing, smoking, working in a non-ventilated and crowded environment and history of TB. There are various environmental risk factors for TB and they are indoor pollution, malnutrition, and overcrowded environments.

Special Considerations or Notifications

There are various special considerations that increase the susceptibility to TB in the general population. The first consideration is crowded spaces that make it easy to transmit TB from one person to another. HIV is another special consideration as both TB and HIV can exist together since TB is an opportunistic disease of HIV. It is common for people living with HIV to have a latent form of TB and this can easily advance to active TB that is treatable using various combinations of medications.

Importance of Demographic Data

There are various advantages of demographic data in community health. Demographic data plays a crucial role in streamlining patient communication. This is crucial especially when contacting the patients to confirm their appointments. Patients' demographics are crucial in improving patient care. This information answers important questions on the risk factors of diseases that are prevalent in the community. Patient demographics are essential in increasing cultural competency. Culture is indented in the community and thus the values, needs, and preferences of the community should be considered in providing healthcare services.

Role of the Community Health Nurse

Community health nurses play a crucial role in finding TB cases, reporting the disease, and collecting and analysis of data on TB. The nurses work closely with the community members and they are in charge of testing TB. After identifying TB cases, community health nurses should make a comprehensive report to the Center of Reportable Diseases. Data is collected in the demographics of the patients suffering from TB, newly diagnosed TB infections, families affected by TB, and deaths due to TB. The data collected is analyzed by community health nurses to acquire information on the prevalence and symptoms of TB. With this data, it is possible to tailor programs that are necessary for the prevention and management of TB. Additionally, the nurses should make follow-ups on the efficacy of the existing TB prevention programs.

National Agency or Organization that Addresses the Disease

The national agency that addresses TB is the National Tuberculosis Controller Association (NTCA). NTCA plays an advocacy role as an agency that prevents and manages TB. NTCA in collaboration with the formed task forces, committees, counsel agencies, and Non-Governmental Organizations is crucial in the prevention and management of TB at the territorial levels. It formulates policies that are important in preventing and managing TB.

Global Implications

The global statistics revealed that 1.6 Million people succumbed to TB infections in 2021. Of the entire population, 187000 people were living with HIV. It is the 13th leading cause of death and the second leading infectious killer. 10.6 Million People were diagnosed with TB and 3.4 Million of this population consists of women, 6 Million men, and 1.2 Million children (WHO, 2023). Though TB is prevalent all over the world, it is more prevalent in the African Region (23%), Southeast Asian Region (46%) and Western Pacific (18%). 87% of the TB cases were diagnosed in Nigeria, India, Congo, Philippines, Pakistan, Nigeria, and Indonesia (WHO, 2023).

Conclusion

One of the communicable diseases is TB. TB is a global infection and the causative infection is mycobacterium. There are various risk factors for TB and they are diseases that impair immunity such as HIV, living in crowded places, and social determinants such as poverty. Demographic data is essential in streamlining patient communication and improving health outcomes. In addressing communicable diseases, community health nurses play a crucial role in identifying cases and collecting data that is essential in tailoring the interventions. TB prevalence can be reduced through advocacy efforts by organizations such as the National Tuberculosis Controller Association (NTCA).

References

Related sample: Social Determinants of Health and the Communicable Disease Chain Model

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