Supporting holistic care for patients with tuberculosis in a remote Indigenous community: a case report

Miller, Andrea, Cairns, Alice, Richardson, Annah, and Lawrence, Jill (2020) Supporting holistic care for patients with tuberculosis in a remote Indigenous community: a case report. Rural and Remote Health, 20 (1). 5552.

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Abstract

Context: Tuberculosis (TB) is a serious infectious disease with high rates of morbidity and mortality if left untreated. In Australia, TB has been virtually eradicated in non-Indigenous Australian-born populations but in remote Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities TB presents a rare but significant public health issue. Remote health services are most likely to encounter patients with suspected and confirmed TB diagnosis but may be unprepared for supporting someone with this disease and the complexities of balancing public health risk with patient autonomy.

Issue: This case study will outline the process for diagnosis and treatment of a TB patient in a remote Cape York community. This case involved significant delay in diagnosis and required several strategies to achieve successful disease eradication. The process of treatment, however, had a significant effect on the patient’s physical health, and social and emotional wellbeing.

Lessons learned: This case highlights the importance of early collaboration between medical, nursing, Indigenous health worker and allied health services and the importance of technology such as electronic information records to support opportunistic access to diagnostic services and treatment. The enactment of the TB protocol should include discussions about the consequences of any restrictions of movement, employment or social/community roles. Identifying alternative opportunities to engage in meaningful roles may reduce the impact the disease has on a patient’s quality of life.

Item ID: 62822
Item Type: Article (Case Study)
ISSN: 1445-6354
Keywords: Australia, community health worker, culturally competent care, Indigenous, patient acceptance of health care, population health management, Queensland, tuberculosis
Copyright Information: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence.
Date Deposited: 17 Aug 2020 22:12
FoR Codes: 11 MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES > 1117 Public Health and Health Services > 111701 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health @ 50%
11 MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES > 1117 Public Health and Health Services > 111799 Public Health and Health Services not elsewhere classified @ 50%
SEO Codes: 92 HEALTH > 9202 Health and Support Services > 920204 Evaluation of Health Outcomes @ 10%
92 HEALTH > 9202 Health and Support Services > 920208 Health Inequalities @ 10%
92 HEALTH > 9203 Indigenous Health > 920303 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health - Health System Performance (incl. Effectiveness of Interventions) @ 80%
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