A risk assessment questionnaire consisting of 4 questions was developed by the New York City Department of Health (NYCDOH). This can be used to identify children who would benefit from tuberculin skin testing as a screen for tuberculosis.
Methodology:
(1) Children were excluded if they had a previous history of a positive tuberculin test.
(2) Identified children received a Mantoux test using 0.1 mL of 5 Tuberculin Units of PPD applied to the volar aspect of the arm.
(3) The injection site was read at 48 hours later.
Questions Asked of Parents |
Response |
Points |
Has your child had any contact with a case of TB? |
No |
0 |
|
Yes |
1 |
Was any household member including your child born in or has traveled to areas where TB is common (Africa, Asia, Latin America, Caribbean)? |
No |
0 |
|
Yes |
1 |
Does your child have regular (e.g., daily) contact with adults at high risk for TB (i.e., those who are HIV infected, homeless, incarcerated, and/or illicit drug users)? |
No |
0 |
|
Yes |
1 |
Does you child have HIV infection? |
No |
0 |
|
Yes |
1 |
number of risk factors =
= SUM(points for all 4 questions)
Interpretation:
• minimum number of risk factors: 0
• maximum number of risk factors: 4
• A person with at least 1 risk factor was 35 times more likely to have a positive tuberculin skin test than a person with no risk factors identified.
Performance characteristics:
• sensitivity 85.2%, specificity 86%, negative predictive value 99.8%, positive predictive value 5.4%
Specialty: Infectious Diseases
ICD-10: ,