Roles and challenges of nurses in tuberculosis care in Africa: A narrative review

Abstract

Nurses form the bulk of the health care workforce in Africa although their roles and challenges in tuberculosis (TB) care are not well documented. In this article we discuss roles and challenges of nurses in TB care in Africa. Nurses in Africa are key in TB prevention, diagnosis, treatment initiation, treatment monitoring, and evaluation and documentation of TB treatment outcomes. However, there is little involvement of nurses in TB-related research and policy. Challenges faced by nurses in TB care mostly relate to poor working conditions that compromise their occupational safety and mental health. There is need to expand nursing school curricula on TB to equip nurses with broad skills required for the wide repertoire of roles. Nurses should be equipped with research skills and funding opportunities for nurse-led TB research projects should be easily accessible. Occupational safety of nurses through infrastructural modification of TB units, provision of personal protective equipment and ensuring access to compensation in case a nurse develops active TB is important. Nurses also need psychosocial support given the complexity of caring for people with TB.