NURS4000 Community Case Part 1: Communicable Disease: Tuberculosis
NURS4000 Community Case Part 1: Communicable Disease: Tuberculosis
Bradley Buchanan presents to the neighborhood nurse-run clinic with shortness of breath, a
persistent cough with blood-tinged sputum, recent weight loss, and night sweats. On initial
assessment, the client has a fever of 101.4°F and pain in his chest. His other vital signs are as
follows: pulse 98 beats per minute; respirations 26 per minute; blood pressure 110/76 mm Hg;
height 68 inches; and weight 140 pounds. Mr. Buchanan is 45 years old. He is employed as a
dishwasher at a local restaurant and lives at the local shelter with his wife, who is 8 months
pregnant, and his 13-year-old son. Mr. Buchanan is concerned that if he cannot go to work, he
will lose the family’s only income. At this point, although Mr. Buchanan’s signs and symptoms
and his purified protein derivative test results seem to indicate that he may have tuberculosis, the nurse must pursue further confirmation of the diagnosis. NURS4000 Community Case Part 1: Communicable Disease: Tuberculosis
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Questions for students:
1. What would be the nurse’s next action?
a. His results and symptoms indicate that he has tuberculous. The RN is going to
recommend treatment, prevention, and screening for the rest of his family. This is
imperative so to protect those exposed in both the shelter and the school that this
family attends.
2. Should the nurse do any testing on the client or his family?
a. Yes, because if he does have TB then the those that he is closest to are likely to be
infected through the air. The family lives at a shelter which exposes many more
people, so he definitely needs further assessment and education. Shelters are
known to breed TB due to the conditions of living in close quarters, which can
easily spread the TB.
NURS4000 Community Case Part 1: Communicable Disease: Tuberculosis
