Curationis
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The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the opinions of nurses working with tuberculosis (TB) patients regarding hospital discharge plans at Moses Kotane in North-West, South Africa. ⋯ The results revealed both positive and negative opinions regarding discharge plans. The data were classified into themes, categories and subcategories. The participants' suggestions regarding discharge plans were addressed and discussed. Finally, recommendations were disseminated to concerned authorities.
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Tuberculosis is a major global public health challenge and disease in young children is particularly severe. Diagnosing tuberculosis in children is complex as clinical presentation is often atypical and available diagnostic modalities are imperfect. Diagnosis is particularly challenging in developing countries where resources and access to sophisticated facilities are limited. The South African primary health care system requires frontline nurses to be equipped to suspect, diagnose and treat children with tuberculosis, but their capacity to diagnose childhood tuberculosis is unknown. Relatively low rates of childhood tuberculosis notification suggested that tuberculosis may have been under-diagnosed in Mpumalanga Province. ⋯ The deficiencies in knowledge and practice evident during this survey and practice audit could at least partially explain the relatively low detection rates of childhood tuberculosis in Gert Sibande district, Mpumalanga Province. There is a need to equip primary health care nurses with the knowledge, support and access to diagnostic tests required to ensure a high index of suspicion and early, effective, diagnosis of tuberculosis in children.