Trying to make a difference: the Malawi experience of a Tuberculosis (TB) nurse specialist

The incidence of Tuberculosis (TB) in the world is on the rise and is a major public health threat affecting a third of the world's population. TB is reportedly the second most common illness causing death in Sub-Saharan Africa, second only to HIV/AIDS. The developing world is most vulnerable, with factors like poverty, malnutrition, overcrowding, poor access to healthcare services and limited or lack of diagnostic facilities and trained healthcare personnel all compounding the extent of this global epidemic. While there may be many studies on medical management of the illness, there is very little understanding and lack of standardized terms, protocols and models of care that describe nurses' efforts in TB management. Thus, a study into factors that impact on nursing management of TB patients in Malawi and Australia was a quest to investigate the impact of nursing care on patients' well-being. It involved collecting data from Australia and Malawi to compare and contrast how different environments impinge on patients' care and outcomes.