[MCOH-EH] TB Risk Status - Medium

[Lisa Dyrdahl]

Wendy,
Thank you for this, it is most helpful especially with the citation for the guidelines.

Thanks again!

Lisa Dyrdahl, RN, BSN
Employee Health Nurse
Lisa_Dyrdahl at Valleymed.org<mailto:Lisa_Dyrdahl at Valleymed.org>
Ph: 425-228-3440 X5720
Fax: 425-656-5066

From: MCOH-EH [mailto:mcoh-eh-bounces at mylist.net] On Behalf Of Thanassi, Wendy
Sent: Friday, January 12, 2018 12:31 PM
To: MCOH/EH <mcoh-eh at mylist.net>
Subject: Re: [MCOH-EH] TB Risk Status - Medium

Hello Lisa,

Yes, you can test some areas and not others.

The CDC 2005 and 2010 TB guidelines use the term "setting" for where annual TB testing should be done in medium and high risk areas. "Setting" allows that a huge hospital like ours would test certain areas, but not all people in all 102 building on all of our campuses. "Setting" is generally shared airspace, so if all 6 came through the medicine clinic, that area would become high risk but the O.R. would not.  (Of course shared airspace can be extended indefinitely to include the whole earth if one gets really energetic...) In sum, such surveillance should be undertaken in a reasonable manner to capture employees truly at risk for exposure but without wasting time, money and productivity hours chasing those who are not.

Newer guidelines will come out soon, and those are likely to be more flexible.

Wendy

Wendy Thanassi MA, MD
Chief, Occupational Health Service
Office of the Associate Director
Palo Alto VAHCS, California
650-493-5000 x 11-65214

Clinical Associate Professor
Stanford Hospital and Clinics

National Lead, Tuberculosis
Veteran's Health Administration 10P4Z
Washington, DC

[Description: Description: cid:image001.jpg at 01CE4591.3F9AB100]
Providing the best Occupational Medicine Care Anywhere-for VHA Employees and Veterans
VHAOccupationalEnviroMedConsult at va.gov<mailto:VHAOccupationalEnviroMedConsult at va.gov>  or https://vaww.portal.va.gov/sites/ohshg/OEMedicineConsults

From: MCOH-EH [mailto:mcoh-eh-bounces+wendy.thanassi=va.gov at mylist.net] On Behalf Of Deborah A. Pruim via MCOH-EH
Sent: Friday, January 12, 2018 9:08 AM
To: MCOH/EH <mcoh-eh at mylist.net<mailto:mcoh-eh at mylist.net>>
Cc: Deborah A. Pruim <dpruim at lcmh.org<mailto:dpruim at lcmh.org>>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Re: [MCOH-EH] TB Risk Status - Medium

We are a low risk hospital.  We require annual screening (questionnaire) yearly for all employees.
All new hires are tested with a 2 step PPD at hire.  If they have had BCG we do a Quanteferon Gold test.
Thanks,
Debbie
Deborah Pruim, RN, MSN, APN, CNS
Employee Health Services
Little Company of Mary Hospital
2800 W. 95th Street
Evergreen Park, IL  60805
Monday - Friday
6:30am-3pm
Phone:  708-229-5623
Fax:  708-229-6618
dpruim at lcmh.org<mailto:dpruim at lcmh.org>
[cid:image001.png at 01D2A32C.E73F4EA0]



From: MCOH-EH [mailto:mcoh-eh-bounces at mylist.net] On Behalf Of Lisa Dyrdahl
Sent: Thursday, January 11, 2018 11:31 AM
To: MCOH/EH
Subject: [MCOH-EH] TB Risk Status - Medium

MCOH List Serve,
We have been a Low Risk hospital for TB and have not performed Annual testing since 2009.  We have now entered Medium Risk, (>6 patients with >200 beds).   According to the 2005 TB Prevention Guidelines we must now:

*         Test all HCWs on hire - (Which we have always done as Low Risk using QFG)

*         Test all HCWs at least every 12 months

*         Preform TB Symptom Screen for all HCWs with baseline negative results

My question for the list is whether we can test only High Risk Depts for TB or do we have to test all HCWs throughout the entire hospital?

Do we also need to provide symptom screening for everyone who test negative on baseline?  We currently do this for all Positive results only.

I had thought there was an option to either test all employees or only those in Hi Risk areas but I can't find this documented.

Thank you.

Lisa Dyrdahl, RN, BSN
Employee Health Nurse
Lisa_Dyrdahl at Valleymed.org<mailto:Lisa_Dyrdahl at Valleymed.org>
Ph: 425-228-3440 X5720
Fax: 425-656-5066


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