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. 2023 Nov 3;72(44):1183-1189.
doi: 10.15585/mmwr.mm7244a2.

Tuberculosis Testing and Latent Tuberculosis Infection Treatment Practices Among Health Care Providers - United States, 2020-2022

Elise Caruso, Joan M Mangan, Allison Maiuri, Beth Bouwkamp, Nickolas DeLuca

Tuberculosis Testing and Latent Tuberculosis Infection Treatment Practices Among Health Care Providers - United States, 2020-2022

Elise Caruso et al. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. .

Abstract

CDC recommends testing persons at increased risk for tuberculosis (TB) infection as part of routine health care, using TB blood tests, when possible, and, if a diagnosis of latent TB infection (LTBI) is made, prescribing a rifamycin-based, 3- or 4-month treatment regimen (short-course) to prevent the development of TB disease. In 2022, approximately three quarters (73%) of reported TB cases in the United States occurred among non-U.S.-born persons. To assess TB-related practices among health care providers (HCPs) in the United States, CDC analyzed data from the 2020-2022 Porter Novelli DocStyles surveys. Approximately one half (53.3%) of HCPs reported routinely testing non-U.S.-born patients for TB, and of those who did, 35.7% exclusively ordered recommended blood tests, 44.2% exclusively ordered skin tests, and 20.2% ordered TB skin tests and blood tests. One third (33.0%) of HCPs reported prescribing recommended short-course LTBI treatment regimens, and 4.0% reported doing none of the treatment practices available for patients with LTBI (i.e., prescribing short-course regimens, longer course regimens, or referring patients to a health department). Further efforts are needed to identify and overcome barriers for providers to test for and treat persons at risk for TB.

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Conflict of interest statement

All authors have completed and submitted the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors form for disclosure of potential conflicts of interest. No potential conflicts of interest were disclosed.

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