Current status of general hospital use for patients with tuberculosis in the United States: eight-year update.

Questionnaires were sent to the tuberculosis control officers in 50 states to determine the current use of general hospitals and sanatoriums for patients with tuberculosis. Replies were received from 46 states; 4 states supplied information by telephone. Fifteen states reported using both general hospitals and specialized hospitals for treatment of tuberculosis in 1980. The most common reason for the continued use of a state-operated facility for patients with tuberculosis was the lack of funds to pay for care in general hospitals. Average length of stay in general hospitals was 21 days or less; in specialized facilities, it was 60 to 90 days. The specialized hospitals usually combined care for patients with mental illness, mental retardation, other chest or chronic diseases, and tuberculosis. With one exception, there were no plans to close any of the remaining specialized facilities. No significant problems with respect to care of patients with known tuberculosis in general hospitals were documented.