Objective: To document challenges in reporting of TB suspects and cases in prisons, this study evaluated reporting and patient care of correctional inmates with suspected or confirmed TB as part of the PPHIP. Methods: Public health and prison records of inmates who transferred into a prison facility as a TB suspect or case or who were newly identified as a TB suspect or case were examined in five California counties from March 1998 through April 1999. Results: All 224 TB episodes of TB patients in prisons requiring reporting to local health departments were analyzed. TB patients with newly identified TB were reported with a median of 3 days in the first year of the project, but only 26% (28 of 105) were reported by the prison facility within the mandated one working day to local health departments. Only 17% (19 of 110) of TB patients, who transferred into the prison as a TB patient, were reported by the mandated one working day to local health departments, but delays in reporting decreased significantly (t-test statistic=-2.4, p< 0.02) during the first year of the project. Forty-eight percent (67 of 141) of suspects exited the prison before completing evaluation and 63% (20 of 32) of cases moved before completing treatment. Conclusions: This project documents the difficulty in reporting and tracking patient care for TB patients in prisons and suggests the need for greater collaboration between prison facilities and local health departments to improve TB control of this highly mobile population.
Learning Objectives: 1. Describe the California requirements for reporting TB suspects and cases in prisons. 2. Identify barriers to appropriate care of TB suspects and cases in prisons. 3. Discuss methods to improve reporting of TB suspects and cases in prisons
Keywords: Prisoners Health Care, Reporting
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.