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(c) Visits to domiciliary patients who are too ill to attend.
(d) Visits to homes at request of patients or relatives, such
visits becoming increasingly frequent.
(e) Daily visits for temperature in certain observation cases.
(/) Annual visits for purpose of house inspection.
(g) Visits for purpose of following up contacts who have
not attended.
Include the various reasons for visiting patients in their homes.
The advice given on elementary principles of hygiene and
public health in connection with their disease, it will generally be
admitted, is of a most useful nature in the anti-tuberculosis campaign.
In so far as the examination of contacts is concerned, the
work of well-trained, sympathetic and understanding nurses is invaluable
to the Tuberculosis Officer. It is impossible without
practical experience in visiting patients afflicted with this disease,
to appreciate the difficulties which have to be contended with. It
is because our two nurses are so familiar with and keen on the
anti-tuberculosis campaign that they spare no efforts to induce the
contacts to come to the Dispensary for examination, often having
to suffer abuse, rudeness, and the like, and putting in more overtime
than one cares to mention. Nevertheless, two nurses to visit
the countless homes of the Borough and to spend time reasoning
with many difficult patients with regard to the necessity of contact
examination and to inculcate the importance of the principles of
hygiene, preventive measures, etc., are quite inadequate.
It is absolutely essential if the visiting work and the enormous
benefits derived therefrom, are to continue, that a third trained
nurse be appointed at the Dispensary, and it will, in the long run,
be an unquestionable gain.
The following items show the chief advantages which would
be derived :—
(a) A closer watch could be kept on contacts who have been
examined and discharged, for many of these latter return
to us as definite cases—sometimes after as long as ten
years.