The Development of Caring Guideline for Pulmonary Tuberculosis Patients by Family and Community Involvement

Abstract

     The purpose of this participatory action research was to developed and studied the results a caring guideline of the pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) patients by family and community involvement. The research was employed into fours stage during May 2022- April 2023 by; 1) to study the situation of caring for pulmonary tuberculosis patients in the community, 2) Develop of care guidelines, 3) weaving care guidelines into practice; and 4) evaluating, improving, and confirming the quality of care guidelines for tuberculosis patients. The data were collected by using in-depth interview, focus group discussion, and questionnaire. Data were analyzed using content analysis and descriptive statistics and McNemar test.

     The study results showed that TB patients suffer from stress, anorexia, inconsistent medication taking. Family caregivers recognize that TB is a sickening, stigmatized disease, the village health volunteers are concerned about treatment and epidemic situation in the community, and the multidisciplinary team is insufficient home visits and ongoing follow-up. The caring guidelines for TB patients consisted of performing the roles of nurse and stakeholder and preparing a follow-up plan for patients at home. After using the guideline, it was found that the TB patients had a decrease in anxiety and depression, and family caregivers improved their knowledge of the disease and caring skills with statistical significance at .05 level (p<0.001).