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. 1997 Sep;87(9):1543–1547. doi: 10.2105/ajph.87.9.1543

Controlling tuberculosis in an urban emergency department: a rapid decision instrument for patient isolation.

J T Redd 1, E Susser 1
PMCID: PMC1380987  PMID: 9314813

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: This study examined whether data routinely available in emergency departments could be used to improve isolation decisions for tuberculosis patients. METHODS: In a large emergency department in New York City, we compared the exposure histories of tuberculosis culture-positive and culture-negative patients and used these data to develop a rapid decision instrument to predict culture-positive tuberculosis. The screen used only data that are routinely available to emergency physicians. RESULTS: The method had high sensitivity (.96) and moderate specificity (.54). CONCLUSIONS: The method is easily adaptable for a broad range of settings and illustrates the potential benefits of applying basic epidemiologic methods in a clinical setting.

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Selected References

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