Tuberculosis among health care workers in a short working period

Background Tuberculosis (TB) is an important problem among health care workers (HCWs), both in Turkey and in other countries. The purpose of this study was to determine the risk ratio and features of tuberculosis (TB) among health care workers (HCWs) at a teaching hospital in southeast Turkey. Methods In a hospital-wide study at Dicle University Hospital, a referral center in southeast Turkey, data from HCWs with TB were collected from clinic and hospital records. The incidence and relative risk (RR) of TB among HCWs between 1986 and 2000 were analyzed and evaluated retrospectively according to TB incidence in the general population of Turkey. Results In this 15-year period, there were 22 HCWs with pulmonary tuberculosis (9 men, 13 women; 4 doctors, 13 nurses, 5 paramedics) out of an average of 734 workers per year over the study period. The mean age of the doctors was 27.1 years; nurses, 20.6 years; and paramedics, 30.5 years. The mean working experience of HCWs was 3.5 years (2.8 years for doctors, 2.8 years for nurses, 6.4 years for paramedics). The mean incidence of TB among the general population of Turkey between 1986 and 2000 was 40.8 of 100,000 persons. The mean incidence of tuberculosis in all HCWs of the hospital was 199.9 of 100,000 persons (RR = 4.9), 127.1 of 100,000 persons in doctors (RR = 3.1), 274.4 of 100,000 persons in nurses (RR = 6.7), and 160.2 of 100,000 persons (RR = 3.9) in paramedics. Conclusion Hospital acquired tuberculosis is prominent among young nurses who work in high-risk departments.