Tuberculosis Awareness for Health Care Workers

Author: Aileen Hyde, MS, MLS(ASCP)
Reviewers: Laurie Bjerklie, MA, MLS(ASCP)CM and Julie Ann West, PhD, MLS(ASCP)CMSMCM
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Continuing Education Credits

P.A.C.E.® Contact Hours: 1 hour(s)

Florida Board of Clinical Laboratory Science CE Credit Hours

Florida Board of Clinical Laboratory Science CE - Supervision/Administration, Quality Control/Quality Assurance, and Safety: 1 hour(s)

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Objectives

  • Explain how tuberculosis (TB) is spread.
  • Describe symptoms that are associated with TB.
  • Describe TB testing procedures.
  • Relate specific guidelines and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) risk categories.
  • Identify methods of TB control.

Course Outline

  • Introduction
    • Introduction
    • Latent TB Infection
    • TB Disease
    • What is true of latent TB (LTBI) infection?
  • Facts
    • Tuberculosis Infection
    • Symptoms
    • How Tuberculosis is Spread
    • Infection Control
    • High-Risk Infection Groups
    • Groups at a Higher Risk of Disease Progression
    • Rapid Diagnosis of TB
    • Vaccine for Tuberculosis
    • The descriptions listed below all relate to TB. Match each description to the item in the drop-down box it describes.
    • All of the following are included in an effective TB infection control program, except:
  • Testing
    • Latent Tuberculosis Infection Detection Methods
    • Tuberculin Skin Test
    • TST Interpretation and Classification
    • TST False-Negative Reactions
    • Two-Step Skin Testing
    • Screening Newly Hired Health Care Employees
    • Which test is preferable if an individual has previously had the vaccination bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) or has been infected with non-tuberculous mycobacteria (environmental mycobacterial species)?
    • The two current methods for detecting latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) are the tuberculin skin test (TST) and interferon-gamma release assays (IGRAs). Match the given characteristics to the corresponding method.
  • CDC Guidelines and Assessing Risk
    • Guidelines: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Risk Categories
    • Tuberculosis Control Plan
    • Tuberculosis Control Plan, continued
    • Health Care Worker Tuberculosis Screening
    • Match the recommended frequency for TB screening of a health care worker with the risk category of the health care setting from the drop-down box.
    • Which statement is true regarding two-step skin testing?
  • Methods of Control
    • Fundamentals of TB Infection Control
    • TB Infection Control in the Laboratory
    • Biosafety Levels
    • Biosafety Level Criteria and Requirements for Handling Specimens Suspected of Containing Mycobacterium tuberculosis
    • Recommendations for Containment to Prevent Laboratory Exposure to Extensively Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis
    • BSL-3 Practices in a BSL-2 Laboratory
    • If the laboratory is propagating and manipulating cultures for M. tuberculosis, what biosafety level (BSL) practices, containment equipment, and facilities are required?
    • Respiratory Protective Equipment
    • Proper Use of an N95 Respirator
    • Airborne Infection Isolation Room Practices
    • Transporting TB Patients
    • Protect Yourself
    • What do the initials PAPR stand for?
  • References
    • References

Additional Information

Level of Instruction: Basic
Intended Audience: All clinical laboratory personnel
Author Information: Aileen Hyde, MS, MLS(ASCP), is a freelance science writer in the Atlanta, GA area. She has a particular interest in the prevention of infectious diseases after working in research and quality management positions in the biotechnology industry. She has a bachelor's degree in Medical Technology from Southern Adventist University in Collegedale, Tennessee and a master's degree in Physiology from Loma Linda University in Loma Linda, California.
The author has no conflict of interest to disclose.
Reviewer Information:
Laurie Bjerklie, MA, MLS(ASCP)CM, is a Lead Education Developer. She earned a B.S. in Medical Laboratory Science from the University of North Dakota and an M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction from Saint Xavier University. She has over 15 years of experience in higher education and has held program director and faculty positions in both MLT and MLS programs.
Dr. Julie Ann West is certified by the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) as a Medical Laboratory Scientist (MLS) and as a Specialist in Microbiology (SM). In addition, Dr. West has earned a PhD in Public Health - Infectious Disease Epidemiology - and is Certified in Public Health (CPH) by the National Board of Public Health Examiners. Dr. West is experienced as a Technical Specialist, Safety Officer, Educator, and Lead in the Veterans Administration Healthcare System, and has prior experience as an Administrative Laboratory Director.