Protocol for tuberculosis screening in pregnancy.

Screening for tuberculosis in pregnancy should be considered in clinics where the incidence of the disease is high. With early diagnosis and adequate chemotherapy, available literature suggests that the disease should not adversely affect the outcome of pregnancy. Current research is needed in this area. Much of the literature is dated. Because the disease is still prevalent in many large cities, studies could be initiated to examine the complications of tuberculosis in pregnancy, treatment regimens, and drug resistance, as well as the fetal and neonatal effects of the disease. Nurses involved in providing prenatal care are in a unique position to screen for tuberculosis. Pregnancy may be the first condition for which many young women seek medical attention. Also, prenatal nurses have access to many segments of the population at particular risk for tuberculosis infection: the indigent, people living in crowded urban areas, foreign-born people, and non-white races. In these segments, preventive health care and medical screening may be inaccessible or nonexistent. Therefore, prenatal care provides an excellent opportunity for screening for tuberculosis infection.