Tuberculosis epidemic among hospital personnel

Six employees of the emergency department at Parkland Memorial Hospital developed active tuberculosis in 1983-1984. Five of the cases occurred four to 12 months after exposure to the index case, a patient with severe cavitary tuberculosis seen in the emergency department in April 1983. One resident physician developed cavitary disease after exposure to this patient. An additional employee case may have resulted from transmission from one of the initial employee cases. One immunocompromised patient may have acquired tuberculosis as a result of exposure to the index case. In addition, the tuberculin skin tests of at least 47 employees exposed to the index case converted from negative to positive. Of 112 previously tuberculin-negative emergency department employees who were tested in October 1983, 16 developed positive skin tests, including the 5 employees with active disease. Fifteen of these new positives had worked on April 7, 1983, while the index case was in the emergency department (X2 = 20.6, P less than 0.001). Factors related to the genesis of the epidemic included the disease characteristics in the index case and the recirculation of air in the emergency department. This investigation indicates that city-county hospital emergency department employees should be screened at least twice a year for evidence of tuberculosis and that the employee health services of such hospitals should regard the surveillance of tuberculosis infection among personnel at a high-priority level.     

Tuberculosis among healthcare workers in a tertiary-care hospital in South India

It is possible that tuberculosis is transmitted from patients to healthcare workers (HCWs). However, there are few data on this from developing countries. The object of this study was to document the incidence of tuberculosis among HCWs in the Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore, India during a 10-year period (January 1992-December 2001). Data were collected from records maintained in the staff and students health services of CMC. A total of 125 cases were diagnosed during the period of study. The overall incidence of sputum positive cases was similar to that observed in the general population, during most years. However, it appears that focal outbreaks occur with transmission between HCWs. The chance of developing extra-pulmonary tuberculosis was higher in HCWs compared with the general population.     

Tuberculosis in healthcare workers at a general hospital in Mexico.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the incidence rate of tuberculosis (TB) disease among healthcare workers (HCWs) at a general hospital. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of TB cases among HCWs over the course of 5 years. SETTING: A 140-bed general hospital in Tijuana, Mexico. PARTICIPANTS: All hospital employees who developed TB during the 5-year period. RESULTS: From 1 January 1999 through 31 December 2003, 18 TB cases were diagnosed among the hospital personnel. During that period, the mean (+/- standard deviation) annual work force of the hospital was 819+/-21.7 employees. The TB incidence rate was 439.56 cases per 100,000 employees; this rate was 10.98 times higher than the rate for the general population of the city. The TB incidence rate for physicians was 860.21 cases per 100,000 employees, that for nurses was 365.85 cases per 100,000 employees, and that for physicians in training was 1,846.15 cases per 100,000 employees. Physicians in training had a higher risk of acquiring TB than did either physicians (relative risk, 2.14 [95% confidence interval, 1.34-35.66) or nurses (relative risk, 5.04 [95% confidence interval, 3.16-83.33). Three of the HCWs with TB disease were infected with a drug-resistant strain of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and one of the infecting strains was multidrug resistant. Asymptomatic TB infection among HCWs was not addressed during this study. CONCLUSIONS: The TB incidence rate among the HCWs at the hospital is extremely high, compared with that in the general population. The implementation of infection control measures is an urgent priority, to reduce this occupational hazard.     

Tuberculosis treatment outcomes among hospital workers at a public teaching and national referral hospital in Kenya

Setting:

Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH), Nairobi, Ken-ya, a large referral and teaching hospital.

Objective:

1) To document tuberculosis (TB) case notification rates and trends; 2) to describe demographic, clinical and workplace characteristics and treatment outcomes; and 3) to examine associations between demographic and clinical characteristics, HIV/AIDS (human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune-deficiency syndrome) treatment and anti-tuberculosis treatment outcomes among hospital workers with TB at KNH during the period 2006–2011.

Design:

A retrospective cohort study involving a review of medical records.

Results:

The TB case notification rate among hospital staff ranged between 413 and 901 per 100 000 staff members per year; 51% of all cases were extra-pulmonary TB; 74% of all cases were among medical, paramedical and support staff. The TB-HIV coinfection rate was 60%. Only 75% had a successful treatment outcome. Patients in the retreatment category, those with unknown HIV status and those who were support staff had a higher risk of poor treatment outcomes.

Conclusion:

The TB case rate among hospital workers was unacceptably high compared to that of the general population, and treatment outcomes were poor. Infection control in the hospital and management of staff with TB requires urgent attention.     

上海某结核病定点医院2005—2015年肺结核诊疗情况分析

【目的】了解上海市闸北区肺结核定点医院患者的主要来源、治疗及转归等信息,为进一步完善结核病定点医院功能提供依据。【方法】采用回顾性分析方法,收集2005年1月1日—2015年12月31日定点医院的肺结核患者病案。分析闸北区医疗机构报告及现居住闸北区的疑似肺结核患者到区(市)定点医院归口确诊情况;通过Pearson卡方检验比较不同病情复杂程度患者的治疗转归情况。【结果】11年间,闸北区医疗机构报告且现居住闸北区的疑似患者到区定点医院确诊肺结核的共602例,占区定点医院首诊断患者的51.23%(602/1 175);区定点医院首诊断且闸北区首管理患者数占闸北区首管理患者总数的比例从2005年的67.57%(100/148)下降至2015年的6.57%(18/274);患者的发现方式主要为转诊(79.27%,742/936);区(市)定点医院首诊断且闸北区首管理患者的0月序痰培养率为90.38%(70.53%),培养阳性率为41.37%(55.49%),重症、合并症、不良反应率分别为15.71%(43.46%)、11.54%(25.15%)、11.54%(18.85%)。根据疾病复杂程度划分等级,区定点及市定点医院首诊断且闸北区首管理患者中,病情相对简单的患者治愈率及完成疗程率分别为79.86%和93.86%,差异有统计学意义(χ~2=79.421,P0.001);病情相对复杂患者治愈率及完成疗程率分别为77.12%和83.74%,差异有统计学意义(χ~2=4.934,P=0.026);病情比较复杂的患者治愈率及完成疗程率基本一致(χ~2=0.034,P=0.853),分别为60.00%和56.67%。【结论】应提高闸北区结核病定点医院诊疗水平,扩大宣传力度,加强政策支持,引导闸北区肺结核患者到区定点医院就诊治疗。     

建立和加强结核感染控制策略在某结核病定点医院的应用效果评价

目的 探讨建立和加强结核感控策略(Tuberclc Building And Strengthening Infection Control Strategies,简称TB BASICS)在某市级结核病定点医院结核感染控制的应用效果.方法 依托省TB BASICS项目,在省级专家团队指导下,于2019年9月-2021年3月在苏州市第五人民医院实施TB BASICS,运用专业评估工具包,对医院内结核感染风险、感染控制措施进行风险评估,根据评估结果制定改进计划,通过持续定期评估及干预改进,提高医院内结核感染控制效果.结果 通过持续跟踪评价与改进,医院在组织管理、管理控制、环境与工程控制、个人防护4个层面,各项措施落实水平均得到明显提升,各项指标总体水平分别由68.75％上升至87.50％、由61.90％上升至83.33％、由67.86％上升至92.86％、由64.29％上升至92.86％.结论 实施TB BASICS项目及相关结核感染控制活动,明显提升了医院结核感染控制的基础知识、实践技能和管理水平,降低了医院内结核感染和传播的风险,更好地保护了医护人员和就诊者的安全.     

Tuberculosis infection control in rural South Africa: survey of knowledge, attitude and practice in hospital staff

A baseline assessment of tuberculosis infection control (TB IC) knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) was conducted among staff in a resource-limited rural South African hospital where nosocomially transmitted multi- and extensively drug-resistant (M/XDR) TB had been reported. Assessment consisted of anonymous questionnaires and direct observation during July-September 2007, soon after the report of M/XDR-TB. Data were obtained from 57 questionnaires and 10h of direct observation. While knowledge and attitudes were generally supportive of TB IC implementation, 49.1% of staff felt that the hospital did not care about them and/or was not working to prevent staff TB infections, and 42.9% were less willing to continue as a healthcare worker because of staff TB/MDR-TB/XDR-TB deaths. Practices were variable. The recent appointment of an IC officer and implementation of natural ventilation were strengths, but the facility lacked a TB IC policy, the patient TB screening process was inadequate, and 41.5% of respondents were unaware of their personal human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) status. Respondents reported a number of barriers to TB IC implementation such as concerns about the confidentiality of staff health information, the stigma of TB and HIV, inadequate resources, and patient non-compliance. Assessment of staff KAP provided useful data regarding deficits and barriers to TB IC, and helped to focus subsequent IC strategies. Given the critical importance of reducing nosocomial TB transmission, it is recommended that facilities should conduct simplified TB IC assessment, ensure the confidentiality of staff health information, address the stigma of TB/HIV, and implement multi-faceted TB IC facility and behavioural change interventions. Behavioural science methods have the potential to improve TB IC research and implementation.     

Tuberculosis risk for hospital employees: analysis of a five-year tuberculin skin testing program.

This study of hospital employee tuberculin conversion rates was undertaken in a 516-bed urban general hospital to determine if employment in such a hospital placed employees at risk of infection with tuberculosis. Data collected on the tuberculin status of employees from 1971 through 1976 indicated that the five-year conversion rate for all employees in a hospital-wide testing program was 7.1 per cent. Employees at greatest risk for conversion were non-White, age 46 through 64, in the lowest socioeconomic quintile, and employed in the Laundry, Housekeeping, and Engineering and Maintenance Departments. It was concluded that the higher than expected employee conversion rate was not attributable to exposure to infectious patients, but to a combination of the booster effect in serial tuberculin testing, use of a multiple puncture device for skin tests, and exposure to tuberculosis in the community.