The contribution of nurses to a multi-disciplinary approach to patient care in Tomsk, Russia.

The Tomsk Oblast Tuberculosis (TB) services have accumulated unique experience in the area of TB detection, care and control through their collaboration with various international partners since 1994. Nurses account for about one half of all health care personnel in both in-patient and out-patient care sectors in Tomsk TB services, and they have been involved throughout in the planning and delivery of care. The authors believe that a holistic approach to service provision has led to positive results in TB programme outcomes, which are better than many in Russia, even with historically high rates of drug-resistant TB.