In this example, it is important to develop a strategy that will be effective in managing Sara’s privacy and in recognizing the primary stakeholders involved in the discussion. Sara’s situation is highly unfortunate and complex and creates difficult challenges for her and for the organization. It is necessary to determine how to best move forward and to evaluate all of the key stakeholders who are involved so that their needs and concerns are addressed during the evaluation. From a human resources perspective, it is important to acknowledge the difficulties that have been created by the situation and how it was handled so that all facts of the case can be deciphered and the team can learn from this experience. This is an important step towards discovering how to best manage the outcomes of this situation and any future events going forward that may have similar implications.

Sara is one of several key stakeholders in this situation and is directly involved because she was infected with the Tuberculosis virus. Since her privacy was violated, it is necessary to determine why this breach of confidentiality occurred and how to best manage the situation going forward to protect Sara from further risk or harm. Her wellbeing and her reputation were at stake within the organization because her illness was discovered by other staff members. Sara’s health was compromised and the health of others was also in jeopardy, so it was a difficult situation for all involved. Sara’s condition was very serious and because she was exposed to a variety of patients, it was important to recognize the need for additional guidance and insight to ensure that the organization was successful in meeting the needs of those who were exposed to the infection and who could have contracted the disease.

The patients with whom Sara had direct contact should be notified that they were exposed to Tuberculosis but should not expose the identity of the individual who might have transmitted the infection. It is important to acknowledge the need for additional information regarding the disease as quickly as possible to ensure that all persons have the information that is required to facilitate effective decision-making to improve outcomes. These patients must receive the appropriate health information as quickly as possible to ensure that they understand their level of exposure, how to be tested, and how to overcome the risk factors related to the infection. The home health agency must act in a responsible manner to ensure that all patients who came into contact with Sara have the knowledge and education required to understand their own level of risk and how to treat the condition if they have been infected.

The organizational management team must be prepared to answer any and all questions related to Sara’s infection, the invasion of her privacy, and the irks factors associated with patient exposure to the disease. These issues are of critical importance in addressing the needs of the patient population to protect them from additional risk and long-term complications. Exposure to the disease requires the appropriate testing and educational intervention to ensure that all patients have the knowledge in place and can ask questions as necessary regarding their exposure. In this context, the management team must be prepared to enter crisis communication mode to prevent any further complications with Sara and with the patients who were exposed to the infection. These efforts must utilize effective tools and resources that will be used to produce the desired results, along with understanding the dynamics of the situation to ensure that all possible issues are addressed in a timely manner.

Educating the population at the home health agency regarding tuberculosis is critical because these individuals have been exposed to a serious disease. An educational intervention which involves teaching the population regarding disease risk is essential to meeting their current needs and in recognizing the importance of proper testing to improve outcomes (Wieland et al., 2013). The organization must fully address the situation that has occurred in an open and honest manner, but without exposing Sara’s name any further than has already been discovered. It is important for the team to establish a crisis communication plan that will be useful in addressing the specifics of the current situation, recognizing the importance of the situation and how to best manage it from a human resources perspective. Specifically, communication regarding the crisis must be timely and should use a variety of methods to ensure that information is transmitted to the appropriate parties as quickly as possible. This practice will enable the team at the home health agency to provide important information regarding the crisis, the risk factors associated with exposure to tuberculosis, and other tools which will be used to enable the organization to be effective in transmitting a strong and clear message to employees and to any patients who might have been exposed to the infection.

A comprehensive strategy to address the potential tuberculosis epidemic at the home health agency is of critical importance to ensure that the organization is prepared to manage the risk factors associated with this crisis. Since the confidentiality of Sara, the first employee infected with the disease, has already been exposed, it is important to develop a strategy that will be useful in addressing the current situation effectively, to provide urgent information regarding the situation to patients who might have been exposed, and to be cognizant of the risk factors that the organization faces with this current crisis. Communication patterns must be open and honest and provide opportunities for individuals to ask questions regarding the current situation in a timely manner.