Northeastern Spotlight

Spring 2018 Volume 13 – Number 1

Product Highlights

Treatment of Drug Susceptible Tuberculosis (TB) in Adults

We are excited to announce that our updated Treatment of Drug Susceptible Tuberculosis (TB) in Adults pocket card is now available. This pocket-sized laminated card for physicians is an update of our previous card, Treatment of Tuberculosis: Standard Therapy for Active Disease in Adults & Adolescents.  The new card is based on the 2016 Official American Thoracic Society/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Infectious Diseases Society of America Clinical Practice Guidelines: Treatment Drug-Susceptible Tuberculosis.
The card was revised and finalized based on the detailed and thoughtful feedback from our expert reviewers and content experts at TB programs throughout the country, CDC and other COEs. The updated pocket card includes new panels on treatment of TB in special situations and monitoring for patients on TB treatment.  In keeping with the Clinical Practice Guidelines, a new introductory panel emphasizes the need for individualized patient-centered case management.

The printed laminated card can be ordered here; a printer-friendly PDF version is also available.

Tuberculosis Case Management: A Guide for Nurses

We are also pleased that our new material Tuberculosis Case Management: A Guide for Nurses is complete and is available online.  This spiral bound booklet is a revision of the previous GTBI material, Tuberculosis Case Management for Nurses: Self Study Modules, which was developed in 2001. This guide, which is intended for nurses who are responsible for case management of patients with TB, provides information on the TB case management process and how it is applied when caring for patients and implementing essential activities for controlling TB.

 
The updated 2017 TB Case Management Guide

The new guide was a long time in the making, and could not have been completed without the input of experienced TB nurse case managers, TB nurse consultants, and program managers in the northeast region and from around the country.  Through the process of needs assessment, development of teaching cases, and expert review of the draft, more than 40 nurses contributed to this guide!
The guide describes the rationale for and activities of TB case management and emphasizes patient-centered strategies for improving adherence. Based on the needs assessment and changes to epidemiology and practice, a new chapter on TB in special situations and circumstances was included, focusing on considerations for nurse case management in special populations, ranging from people with HIV to those in correctional settings.  The guide also includes case studies, tools, resources, and ‘tricks of the trade’ collected from experienced TB nurse case managers. 

We hope that the new guide is useful and we encourage you to download the PDF from our website.

Submitted by Nisha Ahamed, MPH – Training Consultant