Asst. Prof. Ritzmond F. Loa, RN, MAN of the College of Nursing presented his paper entitled “Enablers and barriers to Self-management of Older adults with Tuberculosis” at the at the October 30-November 2, 2019 50th Union World Conference on Lung Health” in Hyderabad, India.
During the conference, Loa presented a poster discussion for the session on “Enhancing Services and Supporting Care for patients with Tuberculosis.” The findings of his study identified factors such as individual, family, community, and health care providers as enablers and barriers to self-management. Filipino older adults with strong support system, who are economically productive, who actively engage with their treatment and spiritual activities that promote healing, who are aware of their current health condition, and have access to available medicines in public health facilities promote self-management. In the Philippines, tuberculosis (TB) is one of the leading causes of death of Filipinos older adults aged 60 years or older. Due to physical and cognitive decline, self-management in relation to treatment adherence is a challenging experience for Filipino older adults with Tuberculosis.
The World Conference on Lung Health is the largest meeting of health care providers and public health experts organized by The Union, a global scientific organization which aim to improve the health among people living in poverty. The conference theme, “Ending the Emergency: Science, Leadership, Action” focuses on what is needed to ensure that commitments become action, and that lifesaving targets are met to eliminate TB in 2025.
