Employee rubella screening programs in Arizona hospitals

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Infectious Disease Prevention
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Voluntary guidelines for rubella screening of hospital employees were issued by the Arizona Department of Health.
• Rubella virus poses a risk in healthcare settings, necessitating employee screening protocols.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the level of compliance with voluntary rubella screening guidelines among Arizona hospitals.
• To identify barriers and facilitators to implementing employee rubella screening programs.

Main Methods:

• A survey was conducted among 68 members of the Arizona Hospital Association, achieving an 81% response rate.
• The survey collected data on the presence, characteristics, and challenges of employee rubella screening programs.

Main Results:

• Only 49% of responding hospitals had some form of employee rubella screening.
• Screening programs varied significantly in logistics, cost, and coverage, with fewer than half including physicians, students, or volunteers.
• Unreliable methods like verbal history were accepted by 14% of screening hospitals; three hospitals reported employee rubella cases.

Conclusions:

• Compliance with rubella screening recommendations is slow and partial.
• Barriers to implementation include cost, liability concerns, and perceived low risk.
• Further efforts are needed to improve rubella screening coverage and effectiveness in hospital settings.