[prmenrs]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051216/...erculosis_test

[Katnip]

I think this could be a great thing. How many people have forgotten to go back on the third day to have the test read? This way you don't have to go through that hassle.

[pinefarmgirl]

Very, Very cool. Current method of ppd is way too subjective, relying on each persons opinion of resulting induration- I had a positive, and 5 different people had 5 different opinions on what that meant. 2 said mine was neg, 2 pos, 1 inconclusive. Personally, I think I had a false pos, my skin reacts aggressively to any other insult, too. The way it is done now is arbitrary. Also, people from other countries could have been vaccinated, test positive here, and are forced into INH therapy for no good reason. INH is a very tough drug to take for many people, can make you feel awful. Try doing that for a minimum of 9 months. So the result is many people just stop, and we all know what happens then. This new test could be more accurate in finding those that actually need to take the meds, instead of just throwing them at everyone who might have a reaction to a ppd for various reasons.
This subject is another of my pet peeves- some clinics very sloppy about this stuff, no solid protocols for this either. Alot has been written about ppd/INH, but it can all be widely interpreted. Before it happened to me, I didn't realize how disorganized the detection and treatment of TB had become. It is time for an overhaul of this situation.

[Jessy_RN]

Neat!

[Judee Smudee]

Originally Posted by pinefarmgirl

I had a positive, and 5 different people had 5 different opinions on what that meant. 2 said mine was neg, 2 pos, 1 inconclusive.

Just had that happen over the weekend. Two patients had a reaction. One was as big as an egg and a clear positive. The other I called borderline or inconclusive. The other nurse called it positive. That was a 48 hour reading so an infection control person was going to read it at 72. Infection control has the last word.