Assessment of the protective measures taken in preventing nosocomial transmission of pulmonary tuberculosis among health-care workers.

To assess the protective measures taken at a public sector hospital in preventing nosocomial transmission of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) among health-care workers, a study was conducted in Civil Hospital Karachi during the period of January 2011 to June 2011. The sample comprised of doctors, registered nurses and non-medical staff working in medical units. Participants were asked about the routine precautionary measures taken against TB as well as those they taken while attending patients suspected of having TB as well as diagnosed TB patients. They were also questioned about the administrative and personal protective measures which were employed against TB. Collected data was entered and analyzed by SPSS software, version 17.0. Chi-square test was applied to test association between categorical variables and Student’s t-test for continuous variables. Total of 150 participants were included in the study. 26.7% of the participants had undergone screening test for TB at the time of their employment while only 16% undergo regular screening test. None of those interviewed ever took any precautionary medication against TB. 46.7% of the participants ensured proper ventilation at their working place. 72.7% stated that the management didn’t take appropriate steps to ensure their safety. 6% of the participants had suffered from TB during their service while 13.3% had suffered some other respiratory disease. Participants were more cautious when attending diagnosed TB patients as compared to those who were suspected of having TB. Measures taken to prevent the nosocomial transmission of TB in health-care workers are suboptimal. Factors contributing to the transmission should be explored and subsequently addressed.