Latent tuberculosis infection screening and treatment outcomes in healthcare workers in Irish hospitals: a multi-centre cohort study
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate factors associated with positive LTBI screening among HCWs and predictors of treatment initiation and completion across hospital sites in Ireland. DESIGN: Multicentre retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Five hospital sites in Ireland. PARTICIPANTS: N = 755 healthcare workers (HCWs). METHODS: Evaluation of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) by interferon gamma release assay in HCWs from high-incidence countries during 2023, identified via occupational health records. IGRA positivity rates, linkage to treatment and treatment outcomes were recorded. Demographic and occupational factors associated with these outcomes were investigated. RESULTS: < .001). Common reasons for non-initiation included treatment refusal and non-attendance. Treatment completion was high (82%) and was not associated with study site. CONCLUSIONS: LTBI prevalence among HCWs in Ireland was lower than international estimates. While treatment initiation was low, completion was high. Treatment initiation varied by site, driven by institutional rather than individual factors. A standardised national programmatic approach is needed for HCWs within the LTBI cascade of care.
Authors
- Michelle M. Coleman (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6752-3266)
- Eoin R. Feeney (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4118-4945)
- Aoife Hehir
- Zainab Albaggal
- Carlos Mejía-Chew (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0528-4252)
- Ciara Anderson
- Arthur Jackson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3402-8787)
- Cian Carey (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9204-8313)
- Eleanor Cronin
- Anne Marie McLaughlin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3770-7478)
- Sarah L. O’Beirne (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2876-0258)
- Brian McCullagh
- Daragh McGee
- Grant Jeffrey
- Lorraine Dolan
- Joseph Keane (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5313-385X)
- Dominick Natin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-3566-0331)
- J. Gallagher (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9874-4646)
- N. Noonan
- Maria Lenehan
- Colm Bergin
- Liam Townsend
- Catherine Fleming
- Eileen Sykes
- Melva Tan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-2211-9356)
- Deborah Moriarty
Institutions
- University College Dublin (IE)
- Trinity College Dublin (IE)
- University Hospital Galway (IE)
- Mater Misericordiae University Hospital (IE)
- Health Service Executive (IE)
- Mercy University Hospital (IE)
- St. Vincent's University Hospital (IE)
- St. James's Hospital (IE)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology
- Published
- 2026-04-13
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1017/ice.2026.10439
- Primary Topic
- Tuberculosis Research and Epidemiology
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00