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The recognition of radiologic signs, such as the Ghon complex, can be the first alert that pulmonary tuberculosis is present; radiologists play a critical role in the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis. In addition, alerting other healthcare team members to the presence of a Ghon focus allows for initiating treatment and enacting isolation precautions to protect hospital workers and other patients from potential exposure. However, radiologists are often not the first clinicians that evaluate the radiograph. Therefore, the ability of clinicians to recognize the radiographic signs of possible tubercular infection helps to ensure patient safety. Additionally, members of the infection prevention teams coordinate with treating providers to ensure that patients with potentially active tuberculosis are placed under appropriate isolation precautions to halt transmission. Healthcare workers are at a ten times higher risk of becoming infected by M. tuberculosis when compared to the general population.[25][26] Respiratory droplets transmit pulmonary TB from an infected host with active TB. M. tuberculosis aerosolizes into the air around an infected patient with regular respiratory activity, but coughing can connote greater infectivity.[27] These aerosolized particles remain suspended in the air for an extended period. Clinicians, nurses, and auxiliary staff must practice the necessary precautions when caring for and treating patients with pulmonary TB. In the acute care setting, nurses spend more time interacting with patients infected with primary TB when compared to other clinicians. Nurses should know the signs and symptoms of active TB to minimize their risk of exposure to infected patients. The signs and symptoms of active TB include but are not limited to cough, hemoptysis, unintentional weight loss, fever and chills, night sweats, loss of appetite, and fatigue.[28] Clinical histories, such as travel to an endemic area, history of incarceration, intravenous drug use, housing instability, living in crowded conditions such as shelters, exposure to someone with diagnosed tuberculosis, or history of untreated latent tuberculosis, can help assess risk.[29]

Nurses should know the signs and symptoms of active TB to minimize their risk of exposure to infected patients. The signs and symptoms of active TB include but are not limited to cough, hemoptysis, unintentional weight loss, fever and chills, night sweats, loss of appetite, and fatigue.[28] Clinical histories, such as travel to an endemic area, history of incarceration, intravenous drug use, housing instability, living in crowded conditions such as shelters, exposure to someone with diagnosed tuberculosis, or history of untreated latent tuberculosis, can help assess risk.[29] After identifying a patient with potentially active TB, nurses and healthcare workers should follow their healthcare facilities' protocols for minimizing their occupational exposure to TB and place patients in airborne precautions to protect other hospitalized patients.[26] Where available, such as in the middle to high-income areas of the world, healthcare facilities should provide personal protective equipment such as N-95 masks or CAPRs (controlled air-purifying respirators). In addition to minimizing the healthcare workers' risk of exposure to TB, the risk of TB exposure to the inpatient population should be minimized by using airborne isolation rooms equipped with negative pressure air circulation; this limits exposure to contaminated room air to those outside of the patient isolation area.[26] Nurses, pathologists, pulmonologists, and laboratory workers are at the highest risk of nosocomial TB infection.[26] Qualitative studies have described that nursing interventions enhance patient adherence to treatment and community-based treatment of MDR TB.[30][31]

A diagnosis of tuberculosis requires long-term follow-up.[14] An infectious disease physician should monitor these patients for medication compliance and clinical improvement. Due to the highly infectious nature of active pulmonary tuberculosis, patients with this condition are also often followed by government agencies to protect the health of the public by ensuring adherence to isolation protocols and treatment. Directly observed therapy (DOT) is often utilized to ensure that patients with active tuberculosis can access and adhere to treatment.[32] Steady adherence to treatment also decreases the risk of developing antimicrobial resistance.[32] However, this disease affects many people, often in low-resource countries, so this modality is not always feasible or possible. An entire course of treatment is at least six to nine months, and the radiological improvements often lag behind the clinical symptoms.[33]