title: Limited value of annual tuberculosis symptom reminders for health care workers.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  (UK) National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence tuberculosis (TB) guidance (2006) recommends that occupational health services send annual TB symptom reminders to staff at increased risk of occupational TB exposure.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the effectiveness of annual TB symptom reminders.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective analysis of returns from 4 years' annual TB symptom reminders compared with numbers of hospital staff diagnosed with active TB in the same time period.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 405 responses to symptom reminders received during the period studied that represented a response rate of 16%. None of the respondents declared TB symptoms. Twelve staff were diagnosed with active TB over the same period. From their work location, only two of these would have received TB symptom reminders according to local TB policy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Annual TB symptom reminders as currently used result in little direct benefit.
authors.affiliation: Royal Free Health and Work Centre, Royal Free Hospital, Pond Street, London, UK. paul.grime@nhs.net
authors.forename: P R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Grime
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jeffs
authors.forename: H Gabr M
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Sayed
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: MacKenzie
authors.forename: M C I
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Lipman
mesh_terms: D006282:Health Personnel; D006801:Humans; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D009786:Occupational Health Services / Q000379:methods*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012308:Risk Management / Q000379:methods*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology