Hi. I just need to answer to the student’s post below:
A public health nurse in a rural setting caring for migrant farm workers would have to appreciate the socioeconomic status of the population. Hispanics traditionally have a strong family connection, rich in integrating multiple generations. It is quite common for grandparents to live with their adult children and grandchildren. Females in the family tend to be the caregivers. Additionally, migrant farmworkers work incredibly hard. They have physically demanding work and work in proximity, under exhausting conditions, with environmental concerns of extreme heat or cold. In addition, many migrant workers have no insurance and no primary care. Chronic health issues are of major concern. There are monetary considerations as funds can be very limited. In addition, communities are close and intertwined.
A tuberculosis outbreak among migrant workers would be devasting. As a BSN-prepared community health nurse, the nurse would work to identify persons with active TB and start treatments (CDC, 2020). The sick would need to come to the clinic or have the nurse go to the residence. The medication treatment would need to be observed to ensure medication is taken (Zuñiga, et al., 2014). Also, they would need a health assessment and vital signs to be taken (Zuñiga et al., 2014). The management of symptoms would need to be discussed such as a prolonged and severe cough, weight loss, night sweats, and fatigue (Zuñiga et al., 2014). They would need to find and screen persons who had contact with TB patients (CDC, 2020). The community would need to limit activities outside the home to prevent the spread of the disease (Zuñiga , et al., 2014). Additionally, they would need to screen persons at high risk for latent TB infection or active TB (CDC, 2020). The difficulty with all of this is the financial ramifications of not being able to work and financial struggle that this could cause for migrant workers. Also, the close familial contact with multigeneration cohabiting under the same roof and the spread of the disease.
The primary intervention would be to prevent the disease. Education of migrants would be key. They would need to be educated about TB in general such as the signs and symptoms and how to avoid spread such as the importance of wearing a mask and isolating. Secondary interventions would be used to detect the disease early with screening. Finally, tertiary intervention would be methods to reduce symptoms such as medication and perhaps dealing with the cough that can last a significant amount of time. As my community has many rural aspects and in fact an active migrant population, these interventions would work nicely. However, migrant workers are only a small portion of the population of my community. The majority of the population enjoys a richer economic status and therefore may have less dire results from an outbreak because they have medical care availability.
0 comments