Health Care Personnel Influenza Vaccines
Influenza is a highly contagious disease that can be spread before
symptoms appear and results in about 150,000 hospital admissions and
24,000 deaths annually. Hospitalized patients are particularly
vulnerable to the dangers of influenza because their immune systems are
often compromised by the illness that caused their admission or the
treatments they are undergoing. Vaccination of health care personnel
(HCPs) has been shown to prevent illness and death in patients, and
reduce influenza infections and absenteeism among HCPs. While the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended annual
vaccination of HCPs since 1981, only about half of HCPs in the United
States are immunized annually. In recent years, more and more hospitals
and health care organizations are putting into place policies making
seasonal influenza vaccinations mandatory for employees, affiliated
medical staff, students, volunteers and contract workers as part of
their commitment to patient safety. These policies often have resulted
in vaccination rates above 90 percent.
In 2011, the OHA board of directors created a position statement
supporting mandatory employee influenza vaccinations as a condition of
employment. Several Oklahoma hospitals have adopted this policy with
little resistance from employees. The key is communication and
education.
The OHA board approved the following position statement: The
OHA Board of Trustees encourages hospitals to implement a mandatory
patient safety policy that addresses influenza vaccination for hospital
employees.