A CARE PLAN FOR CHILDREN WITH TUBERCULOSIS

Tuberculosis (TB) increased 34.1% among children 5 to 14 years old and 36.1% among those 0 to 4 years old in 1992 (American Academy of Pedia trics, 1994). In light of this resurgence, a care plan for children wi th TB has been developed. Health care workers, especially community he alth nurses, must be knowledgeable about the transmission, pathogenesi s, diagnosis, and treatment of this disease. Armed with this knowledge , an effective teaching program for nurses must be initiated to interr upt the spread of tuberculosis. The purpose of this paper is to presen t information regarding the spread of tuberculosis in children, curren t treatment regimens, a care plan specifically for children, and a des cription of the nurse's role in the care of the pediatric client with this disease.