Am curious… whenever I see people still using the TST I’m curious….

You’re drawing blood for MMR/VZV, Hep B, so why doesn’t your facility use QFT/IGRA for such an important test? It’s much more convenient, expeditious and accurate, as you know.

Is it because your volume is low? The hospital is undoubtedly already doing or contracted to do IGRAs for patients: can you make everyone’s life easier by using them in OHS?

 

Wondering!

Wendy

 

Wendy Thanassi

VA Palo Alto

 

From: MCOH-EH <mcoh-eh-bounces+wendy.thanassi=va.gov@mylist.net> On Behalf Of Stephanie Perkins
Sent: Friday, March 22, 2024 12:56 PM
To: MCOH-EH <mcoh-eh@mylist.net>
Subject: Re: [MCOH-EH] [EXTERNAL] Re: TB testing (TST): tuberculin skin testing

 

Thank you all so much for the suggestions. We do have a policy in place for PPDs and employee health, but at the time of their hire we didn’t. When I spoke with them, they wouldn’t give me an answer as to their hesitation with either the PPD or the blood draw. I did end up getting their manager involved and explained if we weren’t able to figure it out amongst us that I would have to get HR involved. Thankfully, they agreed to doing the PPD. I’m not sure why the hesitation, especially since they’ve had them in the past. I will follow up with HR and make sure in our hiring process that applicants are aware of this requirement.

 

Stephanie Perkins, MSN RN

Employee Health Nurse

Clinical Educator

North Bend Medical Center

541.267.5151 X 1667

“We are dedicated to providing the best healthcare for our community with compassionate, accessible, and high quality service.”

 

From: MCOH-EH <mcoh-eh-bounces@mylist.net> On Behalf Of Carr, Jennifer L.
Sent: Friday, March 22, 2024 12:34 PM
To: MCOH-EH <mcoh-eh@mylist.net>
Subject: Re: [MCOH-EH] [EXTERNAL] Re: TB testing (TST): tuberculin skin testing

 

We have ours written into our pre-employement screening policy and a screening test is a condition of employment. If they refuse the onboarding process would stop. 
Since you are finding it upon review, may be a challenge to enforce. However it is an opportunity to review policy and process and make sure everything is clear. A surveyor is going to look for the follow up action. What did you put in place to prevent reoccurrence as much as how you dealt with the delinquent finding. 

Let us know how it turns out. 

Jennifer


From: MCOH-EH <mcoh-eh-bounces@mylist.net> on behalf of Mindy T. Dube via MCOH-EH <mcoh-eh@mylist.net>
Sent: Thursday, March 21, 2024 2:34 PM
To: MCOH-EH <mcoh-eh@mylist.net>
Cc: Mindy T. Dube <Mindy.T.Dube@hitchcock.org>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Re: [MCOH-EH] TB testing (TST): tuberculin skin testing

 

If you have an institution policy that will back your request for the PPD or Quantiferon then that is what you use to support the request.  A policy which outlines mandatory PPD or Quantiferon will allow you to push the issue and take it to the employee’s Manager to enforce that they are compliant.  If you get no where with management then you can step it up to the HR level to enforce compliance.  However without an institutional policy that mandates employees having a PPD or Quantiferon makes it tough to push the issue.    

 

 

Mindy

Mindy Dube, MSN, APRN, FNP-C

Nurse Practitioner

Occupational and Environmental Medicine

Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center

Lebanon, NH  03756

Tel (603-) 653-3850 | Fax (603) 650-0928

Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center

 

Confidentiality Notice:  This e-mail transmission is for the sole use of the intended recipients (s) and may contain confidential and privileged information.  Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure, or distribution violates confidentiality and privacy laws, and is prohibited.  If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender immediately and destroy all copies of the message. Thank you for your cooperation.

 

 

 

 

From: MCOH-EH <mcoh-eh-bounces@mylist.net> On Behalf Of Stephanie Perkins
Sent: Thursday, March 21, 2024 1:23 PM
To: MCOH-EH <mcoh-eh@mylist.net>
Subject: Re: [MCOH-EH] TB testing (TST): tuberculin skin testing **EXTERNAL**

 

How do you handle an employee who is refusing to do a PPD or Quantiferon-gold? This employee was a rehire in 2015, when this employee was initially hired in the 90’s they had PPDs done, several actually, as they were still checking them

How do you handle an employee who is refusing to do a PPD or Quantiferon-gold? This employee was a rehire in 2015, when this employee was initially hired in the 90’s they had PPDs done, several actually, as they were still checking them annually. When this employee was rehired in 2015, they declined to redo the PPD. I’ve been working on getting all our employee health files completed, and I came across the incomplete screening in their fire (they filled out the questionnaire, but nothing was administered), reached out to them and they’re declining both a PPD or Quantiferon-gold.

 

Any suggestions, resources, recommendations, etc. would be much appreciated.

 

Stephanie Perkins, MSN RN

Employee Health Nurse

Clinical Educator

North Bend Medical Center

541.267.5151 X 1667

“We are dedicated to providing the best healthcare for our community with compassionate, accessible, and high quality service.”

 

From: MCOH-EH <mcoh-eh-bounces@mylist.net> On Behalf Of Deanna Prater
Sent: Thursday, March 14, 2024 12:21 PM
To: mcoh-eh@mylist.net
Subject: [MCOH-EH] TB testing (TST): tuberculin skin testing

 

We allow new hires to have their TB test read at other facilities.  The form is signed by a licensed healthcare worker.

 

Deanna Prater BSN, RN

Director of Infection Control, Employee Health & Safety

Lower Umpqua Hospital

600 Ranch Road

Reedsport, Oregon 97467

Office:  (541) 271-6323

Fax:  (541) 271-6353

dprater@luhonline.com

 

“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”

 



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