TB Test Industry Regulations 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under OSHA's bloodborne pathogen standard, which healthcare workers are required to be offered the hepatitis B vaccine?
- Only surgeons and physicians
- All workers with occupational exposure to blood or OPIM (Correct answer)
- Workers who request it at their own expense
- Only workers who have had a needlestick injury
Correct answer: All workers with occupational exposure to blood or OPIM
OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1030 requires employers to offer hepatitis B vaccination at no cost to all employees with occupational exposure to blood or other potentially infectious materials.
Question 2: Which federal agency enforces workplace TB exposure regulations in healthcare settings?
- EPA
- FDA
- OSHA (Correct answer)
- CMS
Correct answer: OSHA
OSHA enforces workplace health and safety regulations, including guidelines for TB exposure control in healthcare environments.
Question 3: The CDC's TB elimination strategy for the United States targets which population as a high priority?
- Children under age 5 only
- Foreign-born persons and racial/ethnic minorities with higher TB rates (Correct answer)
- All adults over age 65
- Healthcare workers exclusively
Correct answer: Foreign-born persons and racial/ethnic minorities with higher TB rates
CDC's TB elimination strategy prioritizes foreign-born persons and racial/ethnic minorities because these groups bear a disproportionate burden of TB cases in the US.
Question 4: What is the primary purpose of the National Tuberculosis Indicators Project (NTIP)?
- To fund TB research grants
- To monitor performance of TB programs using standardized indicators (Correct answer)
- To license TB diagnostic laboratories
- To certify TB healthcare workers
Correct answer: To monitor performance of TB programs using standardized indicators
NTIP monitors TB program performance at state and local levels using standardized indicators to track progress toward TB elimination goals.
Question 5: Which document must healthcare facilities maintain as part of their TB infection control program under Joint Commission standards?
- A list of all patients ever diagnosed with TB
- A written TB risk assessment and infection control plan (Correct answer)
- Signed consent forms from all TB patients
- Annual TB drug purchasing records
Correct answer: A written TB risk assessment and infection control plan
The Joint Commission requires accredited healthcare organizations to maintain a written TB risk assessment and an infection control plan that addresses TB exposure risks.
Question 6: Under US regulations, which entity is responsible for reporting TB cases to public health authorities?
- The patient
- The employer of the infected worker
- The diagnosing clinician or laboratory (Correct answer)
- The insurance company
Correct answer: The diagnosing clinician or laboratory
In all US states, TB is a reportable condition and the diagnosing clinician or laboratory is legally required to report cases to local or state public health departments.
Question 7: What does the term 'directly observed therapy' (DOT) mean in the context of TB treatment regulations?
- A patient watches a training video before taking medication
- A healthcare worker watches the patient swallow each dose of TB medication (Correct answer)
- TB medication is dispensed directly from a pharmacy without a prescription
- Patients self-report their medication adherence online
Correct answer: A healthcare worker watches the patient swallow each dose of TB medication
DOT means a trained healthcare worker or designee directly observes the patient swallowing each dose of TB medication to ensure adherence and prevent drug resistance.
TB Test Industry Regulations 2
Under OSHA's bloodborne pathogen standard, which healthcare workers are required to be offered the hepatitis B vaccine?