Open AccessPrevalence of tuberculosis among health care workers in tuberculosis specialized hospitals in China
Author(s) -
Du Jian,
Pang Yu,
Ma Yan,
Mi Fengling,
Liu Yuhong,
Li Liang
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of occupational health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.664
H-Index - 59
ISSN - 1348-9585
DOI - 10.1539/joh.16-0251-br
Subject(s) - medicine , tuberculosis , incidence (geometry) , china , health care , family medicine , environmental health , population , physics , pathology , political science , law , optics , economics , economic growth
Objectives Tuberculosis (TB) specialized hospitals are playing an increasingly important role in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with TB in China. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of TB among health care workers (HCWs) in TB specialized hospitals in China. Methods We conducted a crosssectional survey to collect longitudinal information on the number of HCWs and patients with TB from HCWs among 203 TB hospitals in China. Results Overall, these 186 TB cases accounted for the incidence of 985 per 100,000 population. The prevalence ratios among medical professionals (PR = 2.40) and laboratory technicians (PR = 2.17) were significantly higher than other hospital staff (PR = 1.04). In addition, general hospitals with TB clinics had the highest prevalence ratio of TB (PR = 5.15), while designated TB hospitals had the lowest prevalence ratio (PR = 1.48). Conclusion Our findings demonstrated that HCWs are suffering from an increased risk of infection with TB in China, and medical professionals (physicians and nurses) and general hospitals with TB clinics have the highest prevalence ratio of TB.