Noppert Grace A, Clarke Philippa
The Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Public Health Nurs. 2018 Jan;35(1):48-55. doi: 10.1111/phn.12372. Epub 2017 Oct 24.
Social disparities in tuberculosis have been documented for decades, yet to date there has not been a comprehensive study to examine the contemporary causes of these disparities. Local public health departments, and particularly public health nursing staff are charged with delivering directly observed therapy to individuals with tuberculosis disease. As a result of the frequency and duration of treatment, practitioners delivering therapy are often well-acquainted with the lives and challenges of their constituents. Thus, through these practitioners there exists a deep repository of knowledge on the drivers of social disparities in tuberculosis disease. Partnering with local public health departments, we developed a survey instrument aimed at understanding the social profile of individuals with tuberculosis disease in metropolitan Detroit, Michigan. We discuss the development and implementation of the survey instrument as well as challenges in developing partnerships between academic researchers and local public health practitioners. This study can serve as a framework for both academic researchers and public health practitioners interested in addressing social disparities in infectious disease.
结核病方面的社会差距已被记录数十年，但迄今为止，尚未有一项全面研究来审视这些差距的当代成因。地方公共卫生部门，尤其是公共卫生护理人员负责为结核病患者提供直接观察治疗。由于治疗的频率和时长，提供治疗的从业者常常非常了解其服务对象的生活及面临的挑战。因此，通过这些从业者，存在着关于结核病社会差距驱动因素的丰富知识储备。我们与地方公共卫生部门合作，开发了一项调查工具，旨在了解密歇根州底特律市大都市地区结核病患者的社会概况。我们讨论了该调查工具的开发与实施，以及学术研究人员与地方公共卫生从业者建立合作关系时面临的挑战。这项研究可为有意解决传染病社会差距问题的学术研究人员和公共卫生从业者提供一个框架。
