Participants in Joint Commission Resources' second annual Flu Vaccination Challenge have achieved employee influenza vaccination rates well above the national average, according to an announcement from the Oak Brook, Ill.-based not-for-profit organization.
Among the nearly 1,100 healthcare providers who took part in the initiative during the 2009-2010 flu season, the average employee immunization rate was 76%, up 13 percentage points from last year’s average rate of 63%, JCR said in a news release. And this year’s vaccination rate is also 27 percentage points above the national staff immunization rate of 49%.
Joint Commission Resources provided organizations with best practices and tips for boosting flu vaccination rates, including offering incentives and handing out reminders.
“The Flu Vaccination Challenge is an important initiative which has clearly gained momentum over these past two years,” Tom Talbot, chief hospital epidemiologist and assistant professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, and a JCR consultant, said in the release. “We are very encouraged by the latest results and commend all of the facilities that participated in the challenge. We look forward to seeing vaccination rates continue to climb during this coming flu season.”
There were some variations in the pool of participants from year to year, a spokesman said. JCR also announced the launch of the third year of the program, which challenges healthcare organizations to reach a vaccination rate of at least 75% among staff.
