Infection control instruction and screening for students

Cook County Hospital is a large, municipal teaching hospital with multiple academic affiliations. We sought to provide uniform infection control orientation and screening for students because many had no previous training in body substance isolation systems or infection control and trainees may be more likely to be exposed to hospital-acquired infections because of their inexperience. Each student or visiting resident must complete an educational program once each year. The program consists of a pretest, a video, and group discussion, with examples of needle-disposal boxes and protective gear, information about ways to avoid needlesticks and mucosal splashes, what to do if a contact occurs, and information on isolation and tuberculosis. The session ends with a posttest, which is then retained on file. All trainees are also required to provide a "certificate of compliance" with the hospital's infectious disease serology screening program, which includes measles, rubella, and hepatitis B surface antigen testing, as well as tuberculin skin testing. Trainees must provide an updated form annually. The program is costly, both in dollars and in personnel time, for visiting students and the hospital. Tuberculin skin test screening detected a cluster of purified protein derivative skin test conversions in medical students.