Prevalence and determinants of latent tuberculosis infection among healthcare personnel in India: A scoping review

Abstract

Introduction: Health personnel in high-burden countries are at a greater risk of tuberculosis (TB) infection, due to continuous exposure to diagnosed and undiagnosed pulmonary TB cases. A scoping review is done to ascertain the prevalence and risk factors for latent TB infection (LTBI) among India's healthcare personnel. Materials and Methods: A review of literature was done from Medline, CINAHL, Global Health and PubMed. Full-text review of 30 articles was done, and three were found to be eligible for final analysis. Results: The prevalence of LTBI was found to range from a quarter to one-third of the study participants. Available evidence has revealed the role of increased time being spent in the healthcare profession as an essential risk factor for the development of LTBI. The study participants were of younger age in all studies. There was a lack of representation of different categories of health workers. Discussion: Higher prevalence in younger participants poses significant threats to the well-being of healthcare professionals. The absence of proper guidelines for treating LTBI in high-prevalent settings and the lack of awareness among healthcare professionals regarding LTBI are significant challenges for preventing TB infection among healthcare professionals.