Incidence of Newly Diagnosed Tuberculosis among Healthcare Workers in a Teaching Hospital, Thailand

BACKGROUND: Data on the incidence of new onset tuberculosis (TB) infection among healthcare workers (HCWs) in Thailand was scarce and not current. OBJECTIVES: To determine the incidence of TB, as well as the impact of TB on HCWs in a teaching hospital in Bangkok, Thailand. METHODS: A time series cross-sectional study was conducted at Ramathibodi Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand. It was a teaching hospital with 9,562 employees. Medical records of personnel with TB infection between October 1st, 2010 and September 30th, 2015 were reviewed to determine the newly diagnosed TB infection. The personnel who were treated in fiscal year 2015 were interviewed about work-related issues, health status and the impact of TB. FINDINGS: In five years, 109 personnel were diagnosed with new onset TB disease. The infection rates were 2.04, 1.97, 2.85, 2.53, and 1.35 per 1,000 persons in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015, respectively. The most prevalent type of TB infection was pulmonary TB. The infection rate in males was higher than in females. Pharmacists had the highest proportion of infected personnel. The second highest rate of infection was in support staff related to patient care. Twenty personnel were interviewed. Most of them worked in patient care units with central-type air-conditioning system without negative-pressure rooms for TB patients. Contracting TB had an impact on productivity at work, health (physically, mentally and socially) and incomes. CONCLUSIONS: Ramathibodi HCWs had higher rate of TB infection than the general Thai population, but the incidence was noted to be decreasing from 2013 to 2015. HCWs suffered from the impact of TB on their lives in multiple ways. Due to the adverse impact of TB on the health and welfare of its employees, hospital administration should apply effective preventive measures and develop a compensation system for HCWs infected with TB.