Flu vaccination of healthcare personnel is a patient-safety concern practice that should be a condition of both initial and continued employment at healthcare facilities, according to a position paper released by the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America, or SHEA.
Published in the journal Infection Control and the Healthcare Epidemiology, the paper is an updated version of an original statement issued in 2005 and is being released as healthcare facilities prepare for this year's flu season. The SHEA said its recommendations should apply to all healthcare professionals in all healthcare settings, regardless of whether those professionals have direct patient contact or if they are employed directly by the facility. This would include students, volunteers and contract workers.
“Healthcare providers are ethically obligated to take measures proven to keep patients from acquiring influenza in healthcare settings,” Neil Fishman, president of SHEA, said in a news release. “Mandatory vaccination is the cornerstone to a comprehensive program designed to prevent the spread of influenza, which also includes identification and isolation of infected patients, adherence to hand hygiene and cough etiquette, the appropriate use of protective equipment, and restriction of ill healthcare personnel and visitors in the facility.”
In December 2009, the not-for-profit RAND Corp. released a survey that showed about 40% of healthcare workers reported they had no intention of receiving a vaccination despite the risk of transmitting the flu to patients.
