Prof. Dr. Akeau Unahalekhaka has worked at the Faculty of Nursing in Public Health Nursing for 26 years and accomplished much during her years here. Her research has focused on tuberculosis, emerging infections, and undetected hospital safety for nurses and patients. Prof. Dr. Akeau has received funding and worked with numerous organizations around the world to better assist patients and health care professionals.
One of her main projects has been in conjunction with the Thailand Ministry of Public Health. She created a set of guidelines for the Surveillance and Rapid Response Teams (SRRT) that provide practical training for specific situations. Short training videos were also created to assist in conveying the guidelines. The books were created with the SRRT in mind being small enough to fit in a pocket for use in the field. The videos were also kept short to keep the interest of the trainees. To date, more than seven thousand books have been distributed to health care professionals in Thailand.
Another area in which Prof. Dr. Akeau has focused her work is with tuberculosis treatment. She has worked with healthcare professionals and hospitals to find ways to assist patients in finishing their tuberculosis treatments. She found that a failure to follow up with patients led them to not finish their treatments. Incomplete tuberculosis treatment can result in new strains which may be drug resistant. Unfortunately, there is a high rate of tuberculosis in hospitals in Thailand and health care professionals are often diagnosed with tuberculosis. Rates of tuberculosis are highest in the emergency department where there is not good ventilation. Prof. Dr. Akeau is currently working with seventy hospitals in Thailand to help find a way to assist patients in taking the full course of treatment.
When Prof. Dr. Akeau was asked what her most rewarding experience in her time at the Faculty of Nursing was, she exclaimed, “Every moment!” She absolutely loves the work she does and it shows through her work. She enjoys the opportunity to visit many hospitals and help provide information to others.