Employee rubella screening programs in Arizona hospitals

One year after voluntary guidelines on rubella screening of hospital employees were issued by the Arizona Department of Health, a survey of 68 members of the Arizona Hospital Association was conducted, with an 81% response. Some form of employee rubella screening was present in only 49% of responding hospitals. Of the screening hospitals, 70% of programs had a mandatory aspect for selected employees. Administrative logistics, cost, problems encountered, and the quality and coverage of the program varied substantially among the different hospitals. Fewer than half of the screening hospitals had programs for physicians, students, or volunteers. Verbal histories of immunization or serological tests, although notoriously unreliable, were accepted by 14% of the screening hospitals. Half of the nonscreening hospitals plan to implement programs in the future. Reasons given for not establishing rubella screening programs include cost, no pediatric or obstetric service, liability issues, high turnover, and no previous case of rubella in an employee. Three hospitals (all screening) reported they had had a case of rubella in an employee. The data suggest slow partial compliance with recommendations for rubella screening in hospitals.