This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Schultz, M. Articles by Sanchez, R. O. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Schultz, M. Articles by Sanchez, R. O. Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Onset of tuberculosis disease: New converters in long-term care settings

José M. Hernández, RN, MSN, CS, CIC

South Texas Veterans Health Care System, San Antonio, Texas

Norma E. Hernández, RN, MSN

Northside Habilitation Program, Nellie Reddix Center, Northside Independent School District, San Antonio, Texas

Rebecca O. Sanchez, RN, MPH, CIC

Infection Control, University Hospital, San Antonio, Texas

Elders living in communal settings, such as nursing homes or other types of long-term care facilities have a tuberculosis (TB) incidence rate of 39.2 per 1,000, nearly four times the rate of TB in the general population. This fact mandates routine screening, reporting, and strict follow-up of TB in long-term care facilities as well as recognizing and addressing barriers to worker and resident protection. As healthcare in this country evolves from acute care facilities to alternative ambulatory care settings, the focus for infection control personnel is to develop effective TB control plans appropriate to the care setting using current clinical guidelines set forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or other agencies, the main goal of which is to reduce the number of infections and exposures to this disease. As the incidence of TB continues in long-term care settings, away from acute care facilities, public health officials, administrators, and infection control personnel need to develop TB control plans, risk assessment procedures, and appropriate followup on positive converters among the workers and the residents. The case study presented herein is a good example of an individual being offered a screening test for an infectious airborne disease and positive test results being disregarded.

Key Words: infectious disease • long-term care • staff safety and health

American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias®, Vol. 16, No. 5, 313-318 (2001)
DOI: 10.1177/153331750101600507


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?