Costs of implementing and maintaining a tuberculin skin test program in hospitals and health departments.
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).


METHODS
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).


METHODS
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 dollars 66,564 to dollars 332,728 for hospitals and dollars 92,886 to dollars 291,248 for health departments. The cost of the TST program per HCW ranged from dollars 41 to dollars 362 for hospitals and dollars 176 to dollars 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.
Lambert
Lauren
L
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, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA.
Rajbhandary
Sameer
S
Quails
Noreen
N
Budnick
Lawrence
L
Catanzaro
Antonino
A
Cook
Sharlette
S
Daniels-Cuevas
Linda
L
Garber
Elizabeth
E
Reves
Randall
R
D000046:Academic Medical Centers; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D017048:Health Care Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006739:Hospital Administration / Q000191:economics*; D017721:Hospital Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006786:Hospitals, Urban; D006801:Humans; D009111:Local Government; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011635:Public Health Administration / Q000191:economics*; D014374:Tuberculin Test / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000517:prevention & control; D014481:United States