ANA's Official Position on This Issue: The American Nurses Association supports:
-Closely monitoring the HIV-infected person for TB symptoms and screening for TB as part of their routine health care. All individuals found to be HIV positive should be offered appropriate TB test.
-Policy development to support linkages of TB with HIV, primary care and substance abuse screening, education, treatment in accessible and convenient programs.
-The provision of joint testing services for TB and HIV which employ confidentiality and pre & post test counseling services.
-The ethical responsibility of nurses to engage in on-going assessment related to communicable diseases, such as TB.
-Education for all nurses about the epidemiology, transmission, preventive strategies and symptoms of TB.
-Employers' provision of protective equipment and appropriate safe work environment for nurses to prevent the transmission of communicable diseases such as TB.
-Federal and state resources being applied to alleviate conditions of social deprivation (poverty, homelessness).
-Funding for increased research to expand knowledge of HIV/TB transmission and treatment.
-Increased participation of nurses in research for safe workplace protective equipment and technology to reduce the risk of communicable disease transmission.
-Continued nursing input in to federal, state and local agencies and legislative processes about TB and HIV disease concerns.
The HIV positive nurse to
-know their TB status by following CDC recommended guidelines for ongoing assessment,
-self-limit their nursing practice based on a case-by-case assessment of their TB status,
-self-restrict their contact with patients, co-workers, and visitors if symptoms associated with airborne communicable disease are present,
-adhere to prescribed medication regime for TB to decrease the opportunity for transmission of the disease.