No More TB Tests?

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My hospital, a large well-renowned research institution, recently announced that clinical staff wouldn't have to do routine annual TB tests anymore. It is still required for new staff, and we will have to do an annual screening questionnaire with a follow-up test if we have TB symptoms.

Has anybody else ever experienced this? I never thought I'd see the day. At my last job, we had to do two PPDs and a quantiferon blood test every year. ? Bright side, as nurses they let us 'read' our own PPDs after the two days so we didn't have to come in for a follow-up visit.

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.

We haven't done annual testing in years, other than areas that have been deemed high risk. The volume just isn't there to support routine testing of everyone.

We do still require the 2 step test at hire. Those who are later found to have experienced an exposure are also tested.

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Specializes in UR/PA, Hematology/Oncology, Med Surg, Psych.

Nope, my last couple of employers did not require yearly TB tests. They only did them upon hire.

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No annual testing...

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Specializes in Med/Surge, Psych, LTC, Home Health.

Wow... my hospital still requires them yearly. Now, I can't remember for sure, but I don't think that the home health agency that I worked for for quite some time, required them yearly. Just upon hire.

I fortunately don't have to do them because I've had a positive quantiferon test, yay! ? So, I just have to answer a questionnaire regarding whether or not I've had any symptoms.

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Specializes in Primary Care, LTC, Private Duty.

Only upon hire and we haven't even gotten the follow up questionnaires since then...which is a little scary, considering we're going into private homes to work around people who could be carrying anything!

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Whaaat? I'm so surprised to hear how many hospitals don't routinely test. It's pretty amazing how widely policies and practices can vary from facility to facility. All of the rhetoric for performing less frequent tests makes perfect sense, though!

Thanks for sharing, guys!

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Routine testing annually was a big thing when I started as a nurse 20 years ago. TB rates were rising fast in part due to HIV/AIDS. What was once something rarely encountered was becomming more common. As a result there was more screening of staff. I need to look up what the incidence of TB is now. Last I read, it was in decline.

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Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.

The last few facilities at which I've worked, it's only done on hire, and then annually in high risk areas only (ED, typically). Have to do the mask fit testing annually, though. That's an OSHA regulation.

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Specializes in Pediatrics Retired.

At the local children's hospital I work prn with...they required all the employees to submit to a blood test; if negative, then no more TB testing required.

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Specializes in NICU.

We take an annual questionnaire and Employee Health determines if we need to be tested. The questions are about exposure to and caring for TB patients in the past year.

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There's probably a risk assessment done based on the TB population of wherever you're located. In areas where it's still fairly endemic, they're likely going to continue testing. In towns where it's not, they've probably determined the risk of acquiring it is low, therefore no testing. (That's been my experience, anyways).

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