Identifying the gap in operational knowledge regarding the tuberculin skin test and interferon-γ release assay among interns and postgraduates of a medical college

Tuberculosis has remained an intractable challenge for mankind. The Cascade of Care approach is adopted, emphasizing early detection of latent tuberculosis infections through screening and primordial prevention of disease holistically. Currently available tests include the tuberculin skin test (TST) and interferon-γ release assays (IGRA). Our study aims at identifying the adequacy of prevailing operational knowledge about these tests amongst the interns and postgraduates who form the future medical fraternity. We conducted a prospective questionnaire-based study among interns and postgraduates. Further data compilation was done using Microsoft Excel. Comparison between groups was done using appropriate statistical tests. In our study conducted on 196 participants, we found that 53.41% of the total questions were answered rightly. The correct responses for the questions on TST were 65.29%, while for IGRA, they were 33.45%. Our study discloses the problem of a significant gap in operational knowledge about the screening tests, silently delaying the achievement of the vision, mission, and goals of the National Tuberculosis Elimination Program. India is both committed and concerned: as a solution, there is an urgent need to address this through continued medical education and periodic training workshops by utilizing the existing resources and allocations.