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Table 1 Health care worker characteristics in three district hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (January 2006 – December 2010) (n = 1,313)

From: Tuberculosis among health care workers in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: a retrospective cohort analysis

Variable

Total

Worked in TB ward

Did not work in TB ward

p-value

n = 1,313

n = 69

n = 1,244

 

n (%)

n (%)

n (%)

 

Mean age in years (SD) (n = 1,281)

40.1 (10.2)

39.7 (8.8)

40.1 (10.3)

0.79*

Range 20-70

Range 25-62

Range 20-70

Sex (n = 1,285)

    

Female

1,003 (78)

57 (84)

946 (78)

0.24**

Male

282 (22)

11 (16)

271 (22)

 

Race (n = 1,307)

    

African / black

1264 (97)

69 (100)

1195 (97)

0.48***

Asian

22 (2)

0

22 (2)

 

White

18 (1)

0

18 (1)

 

Coloured

3 (0)

0

3 (0)

 

Occupation^ (n = 1,307)

    

Clinical staff

717(55)

56 (81)

661 (53)

<0.01***

Support staff

325 (25)

6 (9)

319 (26)

 

Administrative

142 (11)

4 (6)

138 (11)

 

Paramedical

123 (9)

3 (4)

120 (10)

 

Mean duration (years) working in hospital (n = 1,305)

7.4 (7.2)

7.2 (7.2)

7.4 (7.2)

0.82*

Range 0-40

Range 1-32

Range 0-40

Wards where HCW worked†

    

General ward

261 (20)

17 (25)

244 (20)

0.31**

Pediatric ward

103 (8)

7 (10)

96 (8)

0.47**

Maternity

100 (8)

3 (4)

97 (8)

0.48***

MDR-TB ward

78 (6)

6 (9)

72 (6)

0.32**

Outpatient department

101 (8)

5 (7)

96 (8)

0.89**

Primary health center

106 (8)

4 (6)

102 (8)

0.65***

Throughout hospital

159 (12)

1 (2)

158 (13)

<0.01***

Casualty

32 (2)

4 (6)

28 (2)

0.08***

Number of wards HCW worked in

    

> 1 ward

201 (15)

36 (52)

165 (13)

<0.01**

Diabetes

56 (4)

3 (4)

53 (4)

1.00***

HIV status

    

HIV-negative

260 (20)

10 (15)

250 (20)

0.50**

HIV-positive

79 (6)

5 (7)

74 (6)

 

HIV status not recorded

974 (74)

54 (78)

920 (74)

 

Previously treated for TB‡ (n = 1,000)

93 (9)

5 (8)

88 (9)

0.76**

TB diagnosed between 1 January 2006 and 31 December 2010

112 (9)

14 (20)

98 (8)

<0.01**

Pulmonary TB

72 (64)

10 (71)

62 (63)

0.74***

Extrapulmonary TB

18 (16)

1 (7)

17 (17)

0.59***

Drug-resistant TB

14 (13)

0 (0.0)

14 (14)

0.31***

  1. *Student’s t-test, SD = standard deviation.
  2. **χ2.
  3. ***Fisher’s exact test.
  4. ^Administrative staff includes finance, human resources, management) data capturers, office clerks and ward clerks; paramedical staff includes lay counselors, radiographers, pharmacists, lab technicians, paramedics, mortuary attendants, dieticians, social workers, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and speech therapists; support staff includes orderlies, cleaners, groundsman, maintenance, kitchen staff, laundry, and security; and clinical staff includes medical doctors/medical officers, nurses (professional nurse, enrolled nurse, nursing assistant and student nurse) and dentists.
  5. †Not mutually exclusive – health care workers worked in more than one ward.
  6. ‡TB prior to 2006, prior to starting work in one of the study hospitals, or TB after 2010.