Facility Tuberculosis (TB) Risk Assessment
The facility TB risk assessment is a structured evaluation of a healthcare setting's risk for transmission of M. tuberculosis. The infection control team determines the setting's TB risk classification based on the results of the facility TB risk assessment. All healthcare settings in Minnesota must perform an initial facility TB risk assessment and update it on a periodic basis.
On this page:
Conducting a Facility TB Risk Assessment
TB Risk Classification
Conducting a Facility TB Risk Assessment
The facility TB risk assessment must be conducted by the setting's infection control team. In general, one TB assessment encompasses an entire setting. In certain settings, a separate assessment should be done for specific areas within the setting.
Choose one of the following three methods to conduct the facility TB risk assessment:
- Facility Tuberculosis (TB) Risk Assessment Worksheet for Healthcare Settings Licensed by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) (PDF: 95KB/13 pages)
Includes instructions for completing worksheet. This method can be used by the following settings: boarding care homes, home care providers, hospices, nursing homes, outpatient surgical centers, and supervised living facilities. The algorithm on page 10 has been revised. Do not use the algorithm from the previous version of the worksheet (dated May 21, 2012) to determine your setting’s risk level. Revised 7/12
- Appendix B. Tuberculosis (TB) risk assessment worksheet (PDF: 48KB/6 pages)
Published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - TB Risk Assessment (PDF: 116KB/4 pages)
Create your own assessment tool using the criteria listed on pages 9-12 of CDC's "Guidelines for Preventing the Transmission of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Health-Care Settings, 2005."
Keep the facility TB risk assessment worksheet on file for future reference.
Additional guidance for determining your setting's TB risk classifications can be found in Appendix C (PDF: 33KB/1 page).
TB Risk Classification
The three risk classifications are:
- Low risk, in which persons with active TB disease are not expected to be encountered and exposure to TB is unlikely,
- Medium risk, in which healthcare workers will or might be exposed to persons with active TB disease, or clinical specimens that might contain M. tuberculosis.
- Potential ongoing transmission, in which there is evidence of person-to-person transmission of M. tuberculosis. This is a temporary classification. If you determine that this classification applies to your setting, consult with MDH's TB Prevention and Control Program at 651-201-5414.
If the infection control team is unsure whether to classify a setting as low risk or medium risk, the setting should be classified as medium risk.
