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Costs of Implementing and Maintaining a Tuberculin Skin Test Program in Hospitals and Health Departments

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Lauren Lambert ,
Sameer Rajbhandary ,
Noreen Qualls ,
Lawrence Budnick ,
Antonino Catanzaro ,
Sharlette Cook ,
Linda Daniels-Cuevas ,
Elizabeth Garber  and
Randall Reves
Lauren Lambert*
Affiliation:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
Sameer Rajbhandary
Affiliation:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
Noreen Qualls
Affiliation:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
Lawrence Budnick
Affiliation:
New Jersey Medical School, Newark, New Jersey
Antonino Catanzaro
Affiliation:
University of California, San Diego, California
Sharlette Cook
Affiliation:
New York City Department of Health, New York, New York
Linda Daniels-Cuevas
Affiliation:
Multnomah County Health Department, Portland, Oregon
Elizabeth Garber
Affiliation:
Columbia University, New York, New York
Randall Reves
Affiliation:
Denver Public Health Department, Denver, Colorado
*
Public Health Analyst, Outbreak Investigations Team, Surveillance, Epidemiology and Outbreak Investigations Branch, Division of Tuberculosis Elimination, National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road, NE, Mailstop E-10, Atlanta, GA 30333
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Abstract

Objective:

To determine (1) the annual costs of implementing and maintaining tuberculin skin test (TST) programs at participating study sites, (2) the cost of the TST program per healthcare worker (HCW), and (3) the outcomes of the TST programs, including the proportion of HCWs with a documented TST conversion and the proportion who accepted and completed treatment for latent TB infection, before and after the implementation of staffTRAK-TB software (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA).

Design:

Cost analysis in which costs for salaries, training, supplies, radiography, and data analysis were collected for two 12-month periods (before and after the implementation of staffTRAK-TB).

Setting:

Four hospitals (two university and two city) and two health departments (one small county and one big city).

Results:

The annual cost of implementing and maintaining a TST program ranged from $66,564 to $332,728 for hospitals and $92,886 to $291,248 for health departments. The cost of the TST program per HCW ranged from $41 to $362 for hospitals and $176 to $264 for health departments.

Conclusions:

Costs associated with implementing and maintaining a TST program varied widely among the participating study sites, both before and after the implementation of staffTRAK-TB. Compliance with the TB infection control guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention may require a substantial investment in personnel time, effort, and commitment.

Type
Original Articles
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 24 , Issue 11 , November 2003 , pp. 814 - 820
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America 2003

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