Ineffectiveness of annual chest roentgenograms in tuberculin skin test-positive hospital employees

Reeves, Sally A.; Noble, Robert C.

doi:10.1016/0196-6553(83)90002-0

Cited by 7 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…In a large follow‐up study involving thousands of health care workers over an 18‐year period, tuberculosis was diagnosed in only four subjects and none of these cases was identified through the routine annual chest X‐ray examination 11 . This finding led to discontinuation of their practice of routine radiological screening.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are routine chest X‐rays for students entering university worthwhile?

Sebro¹,

Rolle²,

Gray³

et al. 2001

J Qual Clin Pract

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Mass radiographic screening for tuberculosis has lost favour in many countries. The aim of this study was to determine whether the continued practice of such screening of prospective students at the University of the West Indies was warranted by assessing the yield and the cost of the programme in our setting. In a cross- sectional retrospective study, 12,662 chest X-ray reports collected over the period 1989-1997 were studied. No active case of tuberculosis was detected. Three students reported a previous history of tuberculosis and 10 students had a positive family history of tuberculosis. Three hundred and ninety-nine clinically insignificant abnormalities were reported, such as mild scoliosis and calcified foci. Routine radiological screening of prospective students at the University of the West Indies for tuberculosis has an extremely low yield, places the students at unnecessary risk of radiation exposure and should be discontinued.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are routine chest X‐rays for students entering university worthwhile?

Sebro¹,

Rolle²,

Gray³

et al. 2001

J Qual Clin Pract

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“…The lack of such efficacy argued against the annual chest x-ray policy of tuberculin-positive hospital employees. [24][25][26] The same should be applied to the annual PPD testing of all hospital employees. Recently Stead argued strongly against the termination of such a policy based on the fact that the case rate of tuberculosis has been recently increasing in association with the increase in HIV infections.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Annual Tuberculin Skin Testing of Employees at a University Hospital: A Cost-Benefit Analysis

Raad¹,

Cusick²,

Sherertz³

et al. 1989

Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology

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The usefulness of routine annual tuberculin skin testing (purified protein derivative [PPD]) of hospital employees has been questioned. Between 1984 and the end of 1987 the PPD conversion rates of hospital employees at a university and psychiatric hospital in North Florida were compared. The number of employees in both hospitals were almost equal and compliance with the annual testing was more than 95%. In the psychiatric hospital tuberculosis screening of patients was practiced on admission and annually thereafter. Although no unsuspected smear-positive tuberculosis patients were diagnosed in the psychiatric hospital as compared to four in the university hospital, the annual conversion rates of employees were 0.42% and 0.13%, respectively (p greater than 0.001). However, the ratios of these conversion rates to the incidence of tuberculosis in the counties where these hospitals are located respectively were similar (20.0 vs 24.3, p = 0.7). The community seems be the major source of the PPD conversion. At the university hospital more than +70,000 was spent on the annual PPD testing to discover 15 converters; nine had no or minimal contact with patients and only two complied with isoniazid (INH) prophylaxis. Annual PPD testing is not cost effective in hospitals with a low annual conversion rate among its employees and with low tuberculosis case rates in the hospital and the surrounding community.

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