Pathway Step 4 · Build your kit

🧰 Patient Tools Kit — Tuberculosis

The everyday tools a Certified Prepared Patient keeps within reach: the rules that decide an emergency, the order to make calls, and the trackers that keep the routine on course. Print the cards, fill in your contacts, and keep this kit where the whole household can find it.

What’s in your kit

Eight tools. The first three are the rules you must know cold — they decide when something is an emergency. The rest keep the daily partnership steady and tell you where your role begins and ends.

1 Red Rule #1 2 Red Rule #2 3 Other Red Flags 4 The Contact Ladder 5 Daily Check 6 Tuberculosis Meds 7 The ER Go-Bag 8 Speak Up / Trust the Team
🔥

1 · Top Emergency Rule for Tuberculosis

Know this cold

The most important "red rule" for Tuberculosis. This section needs condition-specific authoring — what symptom or number is your key emergency trigger? See the SCD reference for the model. (Initial draft — pending condition-specific clinical authoring.)

🚨

TUBERCULOSIS RED RULE 1

Patient card
Key signal
[Author the key emergency signal for Tuberculosis here — e.g., a specific number, symptom, or trigger.]
Quick action
[The immediate care-partner action for Tuberculosis — call team, give medicine, go to ED?]
Say the diagnosis
When calling 911 or arriving at the ED, always say "Tuberculosis" — it changes triage.
Your move as patient: [Author the specific care-partner action for Tuberculosis red rule #1.] Trust the rule over the hope that it’s nothing.
🫔

2 · Second Emergency Rule for Tuberculosis

Know this cold

The second emergency rule for Tuberculosis — another scenario that demands immediate action. Needs condition-specific authoring. (Initial draft — pending condition-specific clinical authoring.)

🚨

TUBERCULOSIS RED RULE 2

Patient card
Second signal
[Author the second emergency signal for Tuberculosis.]
Action
[Specific care-partner action.]
When to escalate
[When team call vs ED.]
Your move as patient: [Author the specific care-partner action for Tuberculosis red rule #2.]
⚠️

3 · Other Red Flags — Emergencies

Know this cold

Beyond the two red rules above, these situations also mean immediate help. When in doubt, the home care plan handles ordinary days — these are not ordinary.

🧠 Stroke signs (BE-FAST)

For any patient with vascular disease — BE-FAST symptoms = 911.

Call 911 now

❤️ Chest pain

New chest pressure or pain — especially with sweating, breath, jaw pain. 911 for safety.

Call 911 now

🔥 Tuberculosis-specific red flag #3

[Author the condition-specific red flag for Tuberculosis.]

ED today

🤠 Tuberculosis-specific red flag #4

[Author the condition-specific red flag for Tuberculosis.]

ED today
📞

4 · The Contact Ladder

Fill in & print

When something is wrong, you should not be deciding who to call in the moment — only which rung you are on. Fill in the names and numbers now, while things are calm.

1
Rung 1 · The plan

You's Tuberculosis care plan

Daily medicines, follow-up schedule, when to call. The plan tells you when to climb to the next rung.

Action plan kept: ________________________
2
Rung 2 · The specialists

Tuberculosis specialty team

For new symptoms, medicine adjustments, between-visit questions. [Author specialty type for Tuberculosis.]

Specialty team: ________________________
3
Rung 3 · Everyday care

Primary care provider

For routine care, vaccines, refills, non-condition problems.

Primary care: ________________________
4
Rung 4 · Emergency

911 / Emergency Department

For red rules, severe new symptoms. Always say "Tuberculosis" at the door.

Preferred ED: ________________________
📊

5 · Daily Tuberculosis Check

Tap to log

[Author a condition-specific tracker for Tuberculosis — weight, BP, sugar, symptoms, doses, etc.] (Initial draft — pending condition-specific clinical authoring.)

Bring this log to Tuberculosis clinic visits.

💊

6 · Tuberculosis Medicine Support

Daily routine

Medicines for Tuberculosis vary by patient. [Author the medicine classes and patterns for Tuberculosis.] (Initial draft — pending condition-specific clinical authoring.)

The principle: Tuberculosis medicines work when taken every day. Your job as patient is to make the daily routine effortless — pillbox, alarm, no nagging.

Daily medicines

[Author daily medicine support for Tuberculosis.]

Watch for side effects

[Author common side effects of Tuberculosis medicines.]

Never stop alone

Always discuss medicine changes with the team. Many medicines have rebound effects when stopped.

Tell every clinician

Anyone treating you needs to know about the Tuberculosis medicines.

🎒

7 · The ER Go-Bag

Pack once, check monthly

A crisis is not the time to gather paperwork. Pack a go-bag now and keep it by the door. Tap each item as you add it — your checklist saves on this device.

🤝

8 · Speak Up / Trust the Team Guide

You boundary

The hardest skill in patienting is knowing when to act and when to hold back. A great patient is a reliable backup and a fierce advocate — without taking your own care away from them.

💬 Speak up when…

  • A red-flag rule is met and a clinician is dismissing it — restate the rule and the home plan calmly and clearly.
  • You are in the ED and your home plan is being ignored — ask for it to be looked at, and ask for a senior clinician if needed.
  • You are about to be given a medicine or test that wasn’t in the plan — ask why, and ask about alternatives.
  • Your symptoms are escalating between visits — call before it becomes an ER trip.
  • You feel unheard or rushed — it’s OK to say "I need a minute to ask one more question."

🤝 Trust the team when…

  • They have proposed a guideline-based treatment that fits your plan.
  • You disagree from fear rather than from new information — pause, ask one question, listen.
  • You are on a stable run that’s working — small adjustments often beat big changes.
  • Your care partner’s instinct and the team’s recommendation agree — that’s a strong signal.
  • You’ve done your part of the homework — logs, questions, honest history — and now it’s the team’s turn.
The principle: you trained to the depth your clinicians use so you could be a partner in your own care, not a passenger. Speak up for safety and accuracy; trust the team for guideline-based treatment and steady adjustment. When unsure, ask a clarifying question first: “Can you walk me through your reasoning?”
← Back to the Tuberculosis Patient pathway · then mark Step 4 complete