Utilization of a latent tuberculosis infection referral system by newly resettled refugees in central Ohio.

Setting: A resettlement medical screening program that refers refugees with a positive tuberculin skin test (TST) to a public health tuberculosis (TB) clinic for evaluation for latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI).

Objective: To identify the proportion of refugees that were TST-positive, how many attended after referral for medical evaluation, what characteristics influenced follow-up, and whether programmatic changes would increase follow-up rates.

Design: Refugee characteristics and follow-up information were extracted from the resettlement medical records of 224 adult refugees screened in Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio, in 2008.