| Press Room |
 |
| Immunization Action Coalition |
| Contact: Deborah L. Wexler, MD, Executive Director |
| (651) 647-9009 |
| Email: admin@immunize.org |
| Immunization Action Coalition |
| October 12, 2009 |
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| Patient Safety Clarion Call: Honoring Mandatory Influenza Vaccination for Healthcare Workers |
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| In recognition of the hospitals,
professional organizations, and government entities who have
sounded a clarion call for patient safety by strengthening
mandatory influenza vaccination policies for healthcare workers,
the Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) announces its online "Honor Roll for Patient Safety." The Honor Roll serves as a
repository of model mandates that could be adopted by other
organizations seeking to enhance patient safety. |
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| "We hope that the
Honor Roll will grow to include thousands of organizations who
become part of the movement to protect patients through truly
mandatory influenza vaccination policies," said Deborah L. Wexler,
MD, IAC's Executive Director. |
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| Vaccination is one of the most
effective ways to prevent influenza transmission in healthcare
settings, but U.S. healthcare worker influenza vaccination rates
have only reached 50 percent. Key elements of the stronger
policies that have recently been initiated in some healthcare
settings are the inclusion of barrier measures to prevent
influenza transmission and the discontinuation of policies that
allowed workers to exempt themselves from influenza vaccination
because of their personal beliefs. |
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| To be included in the Honor Roll for Patient Safety, an organization's mandate must require
influenza vaccination for employees and must include serious
measures to prevent transmission of influenza to patients from
workers who cannot or will not get vaccinated. Such measures might
include a mask requirement, reassignment to non–patient-care
duties, or dismissal of the employee. |
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| According to bioethicist Arthur
Caplan, PhD, Director of the Center for Bioethics at the
University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, "If you can get close
to 100 percent vaccination rates [among healthcare workers] you
can cut patient death rates from flu by 40 percent." |
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| Dr. Caplan has resolutely promoted
universal healthcare worker vaccination as a patient safety issue.
IAC applauds his ethical leadership as well as the work of Gregory
A. Poland, MD, MACP, FIDSA, Department of Medicine, Infectious
Diseases, Mayo Clinic and Foundation in Rochester, Minnesota. Dr.
Poland's research has significantly heightened the healthcare
community's awareness of the importance of healthcare workers
being vaccinated against influenza. |
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| The Infectious Diseases Society of
America (IDSA) has issued an authoritative policy statement on
influenza vaccination for healthcare workers (Pandemic and Seasonal Influenza Principles for U.S. Action). On September 30,
2009, IDSA updated its policy to include 2009 H1N1 influenza
vaccine; to disallow declination for personal reasons; and to
specify the steps that should be taken to protect patients from
being infected by unimmunized healthcare workers. |
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| In a recent editorial ("Health workers must get flu shot or quit," published online at MSNBC.com,
October 8, 2009), Dr. Caplan says patient safety trumps personal
beliefs: "Enough already with the whining, moaning, demonstrating
and protesting by health care workers. Doctors, nurses,
respiratory therapists, nurses' aides, and anyone else who has
regular contact with patients ought to be required to get a flu
shot or find another line of work." |
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| IAC recognizes the following
healthcare institutions on the Honor Roll for Patient Safety:
Barnes Jewish Corporation (BJC) HealthCare, Missouri; Children's
Hospital of Philadelphia; Creighton University; Hospital of the
University of Pennsylvania; Loyola University Health System,
Illinois; MedStar Health, Maryland and Washington, DC; TriHealth,
Good Samaritan and Bethesda North Hospitals, Cincinnati, Ohio;
University of Iowa Hospitals; and Virginia Mason Medical Center,
Seattle. |
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| In addition, IAC names IDSA to the
Honor Roll, as well as the State of New York for creating an
influenza vaccine mandate that applies to hundreds of healthcare
institutions in the state, and the U.S. Department of Defense for
its policy requiring all personnel in military healthcare
facilities to be vaccinated against influenza. |
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| Clinics, hospitals, professional
organizations, and states that have implemented mandatory
influenza vaccination policies for healthcare workers may nominate
themselves for inclusion on the Honor Roll for Patient Safety by
submitting this online application form. |
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| The Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) creates and distributes educational materials for healthcare
professionals and the public that enhance the delivery of safe and
effective immunization services. IAC also facilitates
communication about the safety, efficacy, and use of vaccines
within the broad immunization community of patients, parents,
healthcare organizations, and government health agencies. Since
1995, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been a
major financial supporter of IAC for the purpose of educating
healthcare professionals about U.S. vaccine recommendations. IAC's
website (www.immunize.org)
is designated by the World Health Organization as one of 30 international vaccine safety websites meeting credibility and
content good information practices criteria. |
|
| Click here for
a fully formatted PDF version |
| |
| This page was updated
on October 9, 2009 |
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