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 Pediatrics, 1994). In light of this resurgence, a care plan for children with TB has been developed. Health care workers, especially community health nurses, must be knowledgeable about the transmission, pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of this disease. Armed with this knowledge, an effective teaching program for nurses must be initiated to interrupt the spread of tuberculosis. The purpose of this paper is to present information regarding the spread of tuberculosis in children, current treatment regimens, a care plan specifically for children, and a description of the nurse's role in the care of the pediatric client with this disease.