General

Synonym/Acronym:
TST, TB tine test, PPD, Mantoux skin test, QuantiFERON-TB Gold blood test (QFT-G), QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube test (QFT-GIT), T-SPOT.TB test (T-SPOT).

Rationale
To evaluate for current or past tuberculin infection or exposure.

Patient Preparation
There are no food, fluid, activity, or medication restrictions unless by medical direction.

Normal Findings
Method: Intradermal skin test, culture/enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) blood test for QuantiFERON assays, enzyme-linked ImmunoSpot (ELISPOT) for T-SPOT.TB test. Negative.

Critical Findings and Potential Interventions

• Positive results

Timely notification to the requesting health-care provider (HCP) of any critical findings and related symptoms is a role expectation of the professional nurse. A listing of these findings varies among facilities.

Specific infectious organisms are required to be reported to local, state, and national departments of health. Lists of specific organisms may vary among facilities. State health departments provide information regarding reportable diseases, which can be accessed at each state health department Web site. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides information regarding national notifiable diseases at https://ndc.services.cdc.gov/search-results-year.