Summary of Changes to the Maritime TB Form

Attachment D 1: Summary of changes: Clinically TB Contact Investigation Outcome Reporting Form – Maritime

The following changes are requested for the revised Clinically TB Contact Investigation Outcome Reporting Form – Maritime. These changes are being requested to focus the information collection on only the data CDC needs to perform a public health assessment of the case(s) and potential exposures.

• Decrease in the pieces of data requested from the maritime operator respondent: 43 data-entry fields/columns to 15. The following have been removed:

  • Gender (not necessary for public health decision-making)

  • Date contacted (not necessary for public health decision-making)

  • Unnecessary contact details (e.g. Was this person a known close contact of the index case outside of this voyage?; Specify types of contact this person had with index case?). Not necessary for public health decision-making

  • Unnecessary medical history of contact (e.g. other TB exposures, history of incarceration, IV drug use, BCG vaccine, previous TST or IGRA testing, etc)

• Modifications

  • “Were you able to contact this person? Y/N If no, why not? (contact disembarked in another country, transferred to another ship, etc) (If no, stop here)” to “Is this contact still on this vessel?

    • Sometimes crew disembark to work on other ships of the same cruise line

  • “Was a review of signs and symptoms completed?” to “Does this person have any signs or symptoms of TB?

    • Critical clinical and public health information needed, i.e. the results of the disease screening/CI)

  • “If x-ray done, was result Normal, abnormal, non-cavitary or Abnormal cavitary?” to “If a chest X-ray was done, did it show any signs of TB?”

  • IGRA screening test results…to “If a high-risk contact* without TB signs/symptoms, how was contact assessed for latent TB (LTBI)?”

    • This modified question clarifies what the critical information is and is less confusing to the respondent. The question now also parallels the recommendations sent to ship in our TB CI Recommendation Letter

  • Multiple columns asking TST vs. IGRA screening test results….to “Results of high-risk contact LTBI screening”

    • This modified question clarifies what the critical information is and is less confusing to the respondent. The question now also parallels the recommendations sent to ship in our TB CI Recommendation Letter