OVERVIEW
Tuberculosis is a chronic infectious disease of the lungs caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Mycobacterium tuberculosis can affect almost all organs of the body, but the lungs are the most common. Tuberculosis poses a very serious threat to human health. People who excrete the bacilli are an important source of infection. Human infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis does not necessarily result in disease, but may cause clinical morbidity when resistance is lowered or cell-mediated metaplasia is elevated. Patients usually have a close contact history of tuberculosis, and the onset of the disease may be rapid or slow, mostly low-grade fever, night sweats, fatigue, poor appetite, emaciation, female menstrual disorders, etc.; respiratory symptoms such as coughing, coughing up sputum, hemoptysis, chest pain, chest tightness of varying degrees, or respiratory distress may occur. If timely diagnosis is made and reasonable treatment is given, most of them can be clinically cured.
Main nursing problems
1. High body temperature.
2. Hemoptysis.
3. Chest pain
4. Ineffective respiratory pattern.
5. Nutritional disorders: below body requirements.
6. Risk of asphyxia.
Nursing measures
1. Sterilization and isolation care
Keep the room well ventilated and disinfect the air daily. Cover the patient’s mouth and nose with a double-layer napkin when sneezing and coughing, and burn the paper directly after use. Wash hands with running water after touching sputum.
2. Medication care
Understand that anti-tuberculosis drugs play a decisive role in controlling tuberculosis, and urge patients to follow the doctor’s instructions to take medication, do not arbitrarily increase or decrease drugs.
3. Hemoptysis care
Clean the respiratory tract in time and keep the respiratory tract open. Closely observe the amount, color and nature of hemoptysis, and record the hemoptysis. Patients with massive hemoptysis should absolutely rest in bed, while patients with small amount of hemoptysis should mainly rest quietly, take the patient’s side lying position, avoid activities, and reduce the degree of lung activity.
Health education
1. Patients’ tableware should be sterilized after boiling; leftovers should be disposed of after boiling; sputum, sputum cups and commodes should be sterilized; bedding and books should be exposed to sunlight frequently; clothes and towels should be sterilized and then disposed of.
2. Family members should provide patients with high-protein food, such as meat, eggs, milk, etc., to supplement nutrition and improve immunity.
3. If the patient has a large amount of night sweating, he/she should use warm or dry towel to dry the sweat, change underwear and bed sheet diligently, and pay attention to replenish enough water.
4. Patients with severe toxic symptoms such as high fever, hemoptysis and active tuberculosis should rest in bed, and appropriate activities and physical exercise can be carried out step by step during the recovery period.
5. Patients and their families should make clear the importance of regular and complete treatment, and urge patients to adhere to the medication regimen in order to get cured of tuberculosis.
6. Family members should urge patients with tuberculosis to have regular review of liver function, X-ray chest radiographs and sputum mycobacterium tuberculosis tests in order to understand the changes in their conditions. Close contacts of TB patients should undergo regular chest X-ray examination for early detection of TB disease and treatment.