Let's Use Logic

MDR-TB is a multi-drug resistant form of Tuberculosis or TB. It's bad news, because it's very difficult to treat. Working in a Medical ward, I was checking over the various diagnoses of our patients and found one who was a Query MDR-TB. She wasn't, however, in any form of isolation and was sharing a cubicle with three other patients.

I confronted the Sister of the ward, and asked her why this was happening and if we could please move the patient into an (already available) isolation cubicle so that no one else catches this deadly disease. "No, you can't do that, because she is only a query MDR-TB. If she is confirmed, we will do something." I'm sorry, but my logic (which no one at this goddamn place seems to have) is that if she is eventually confirmed to have MDR-TB, it means that she had it all along and will most likely have spread it to everyone she was in contact with: patients, nurses and doctors. Two days later, her test results come back. Confirmed MDR-TB. In two days, the chances are very high that she gave it to every patient in that room as well as to the nurses treating her. Yet, we wonder why this disease is spreading so easily. I was a very good, selfish nurse and avoided that cubicle for the entire time that patient was there.

Look at me now, TB-FREE!