Tuberculosis and the health care worker: A historical perspective Journal Article
| Author: | Sepkowitz, K. A. |
| Article Title: | Tuberculosis and the health care worker: A historical perspective |
| Abstract: | Many hospital outbreaks of tuberculosis have occurred in recent years in the United States, resulting in tuberculosis infection and disease among health care workers and patients. Several hospital workers have died of nosocomially acquired multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. Assuring the safety of the health care worker with respect to tuberculosis has become an urgent priority. A review of the medical literature of the past 100 years reveals that our current view of tuberculosis care as an occupational hazard emerged only in the 1950s, after a fierce and extensive debate. Many authorities had felt that care of the tuberculous patient conferred a health advantage to the care provider. This paper reviews this debate and considers steps taken decades ago, before our current environmental interventions were available to ensure the safety of the health care worker. |
| Keywords: | united states; history; health care personnel; health personnel; occupational health; disease transmission; history of medicine; lung tuberculosis; tuberculin test; tuberculosis, pulmonary; human; article; support, u.s. gov't, p.h.s.; history of medicine, 20th cent.; disease transmission, patient-to-professional; history of medicine, 18th cent.; history of medicine, 19th cent.; history of medicine, ancient |
| Journal Title: | Annals of Internal Medicine |
| Volume: | 120 |
| Issue: | 1 |
| ISSN: | 0003-4819 |
| Publisher: | American College of Physicians |
| Date Published: | 1994-01-01 |
| Start Page: | 71 |
| End Page: | 79 |
| Language: | English |
| PUBMED: | 8250459 |
| PROVIDER: | scopus |
| DOI: | 10.7326/0003-4819-120-1-199401010-00012 |
| DOI/URL: | |
| Notes: | Review -- Export Date: 1 February 2019 -- Source: Scopus |
