NEWS    RECALLS    COMPLAINT FORM    SCAM ALERTS   RESOURCES  
Small Claims Guide   Class Actions   Lemon Laws   FAQ   Newsletters  
Share


Complain about a product or service

Automotive    Education    Employment    Electronics    Family    Finance    Health    Homeowners    Insurance    Pets    Shopping    Travel     Print This     Email This    



NEWS   Latest |  Archives |  Auto |  Cells, etc. |  Computers |  Financial |  Health |  Homeowners |  Parents |  Privacy |  Scams |  Seniors |  Travel

Flu Expert Wants Mandatory Vaccination of Health Care Workers





November 9, 2005
The senior hospital epidemiologist and flu expert at Johns Hopkins University is calling for mandatory vaccination of all health care workers as the best means of protecting patients and hospital staff from widespread outbreaks of the viral illness.


Flu Shots Not To Be Sneezed At
Tips For Surviving Flu Season
Vaccines Ready for Flu Season
It's Flu Season Again
More Flu Shots for Kids
Record Amount Of Flu Vaccine On Hand
Nasty Flu Year in Store
Nasal Flu Vaccine Approved For Young Children
FDA OKs Relenza for Treatment and Prevention of Flu
Expanded Flu Shot Recommendations for Children
CDC Revises Flu Treatment Guidelines
Flu Outbreak Jams California Emergency Rooms
FDA Approves Tamiflu for Prevention of Flu in Children
Do Flu Shots Really Help Seniors?
No Surprises in Use of Nasal Spray Flu Vaccine
Flu Expert Wants Mandatory Vaccination of Health Care Workers
Like the Flu, Vaccine Shortages Return
Chiron Cleared To Ship Flu Vaccine
Flu Shots' Benefit to Elderly Questioned
---
U.S. Fears Devastating "Bird Flu" Pandemic

Studies by other United States researchers show that voluntary vaccination programs don't do the job and that each year, nearly 40,000 Americans die from influenza, many of them elderly or ill, with weakened immune systems that cannot readily fend off the disease.

In an editorial published in the journal Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, Trish Perl, M.D., M.Sc., concludes that mass vaccination policies are required to prevent patients from accidentally contracting the virus directly from an infected medical staff worker or indirectly from other patients or visitors via medical staff.

Previous research from Hopkins showed that annual flu shots have been almost 88 percent effective at reducing the risk of flu infection and that they reduced by one-half the number of deaths among hospital patients from the disease.

Perl's view, which is likely to inform further debate on the subject of voluntary versus mandatory worker vaccination programs, is based on research showing that despite free and ready access to the vaccine, only 40 percent of all health care workers actually get a flu shot.

"We have gone as far as possible with vaccination programs emphasizing education and health promotion," said Perl, an associate professor of medicine and pathology at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

"It's now time to go the extra step, requiring active declination or even making vaccination a mandatory part of the job, linked to patient safety, along with such tasks as keeping hands clean and getting mandatory TB tests," Perl added.

Neither state nor federal law requires workers to provide medical details when they call in sick so it is difficult to precisely link seasonal hospital absenteeism and high rates of non-vaccination, she noted.

"We need to close the very serious gap between knowledge and behavior that exists among health care workers," Perl argued, and it can be done, she says.

In 2003, her team, along with occupational health services, at Hopkins vaccinated more than 70 percent of 10,000 hospital staff. "But we can do better and, ideally, at Hopkins and other hospitals, our objective would be to consistently have more than 90 percent of staff vaccinated each year."

According to Perl, numerous staff surveys from other hospitals have shown that the most common reason cited for not getting a vaccination is a lack of time (47 percent).

Surprisingly, a remarkably high number of staff, more than 30 percent, believed they could catch influenza from the vaccine itself, which is false.

Perl also noted from surveys that relying on people's self-awareness is not sufficient to prevent the flu from spreading.

"One-half of infected health care workers have no idea when they are infected with influenza, often having few if any signs and symptoms and making it impossible to ask all staff to stay home when they are feeling ill to prevent other people from catching their infection," she said.

Still other studies have found that education campaigns can be effective at increasing vaccination rates among health care workers by as much as 60 percent.

And to the surprise of those conducting these surveys, the reason most likely to motivate health care workers to get the shot is that it benefits patients, not themselves.

However, in the editorial, Perl concluded that, "Shifting the message from self-interest to altruism in protecting patients may improve vaccination rates, but it won't fix the problem. From a hospital policy standpoint, this is a real patient safety issue and vaccination can be viewed as a means of protecting patients from influenza exposure and the related mortality seen among vulnerable populations. Vaccination should be presented as such to both health care workers and every hospital's leadership."

Perl noted that even without mandatory vaccination policies, other potential barriers to widespread vaccination can be helpful and should be implemented nationwide.

Among her recommendations are free shots for all staff, easy access to flu shot clinics on site, flexible vaccination hours, emphasis on patient safety aspects of the program, education to counter beliefs that the shots can make you sick and encouragement from hospital leaders to get the vaccine.

The next step, Perl said, is for health care professional associations, such as the Infectious Disease Society of America and the U.S. Joint Commission of Accreditation on Healthcare Organizations, to endorse mandatory flu shots.

One group, the Society for Health Care Epidemiology, last month endorsed just such a plan. However, she acknowledges that current federal workers' rights prevent employers from making vaccinations a requirement.

Perl said her proposal is open to discussion at Hopkins. "Ultimately, we want to make vaccination as mandatory for workers as the law allows in order to effectively accomplish what we cannot enforce," she said.



Report Your Experience
If you've had a bad experience -- or a good one -- with a consumer product or service, we'd like to hear about it. All complaints are reviewed by class action attorneys and are considered for publication on our site. Knowledge is power! Help spread the word. File your consumer report now.

Share

Follow us on Twitter.

FREE CONSUMER NEWSLETTERS

The Daily Consumer
Afternoons M-F

Sign up now!


Consumer News & Alerts
Every Sunday

Sign up now!





CONSUMER NEWS

SAFETY RECALLS

Back to the top |

Advertisement


Custom Search
AUTOMOTIVE
• Dealers
• Manufacturers
• Service
• Extended Warranties
• Lemon Laws
• Recalls
• Tires
• Transporters

FAMILY
• Aging
• Children, Parenting
• Recalls
• Dating
• Education
• Entertainment
• Pets
• Weddings
FINANCE
• Annuities
• Banks
• Credit Cards
• Debt Collection
• Debt Counseling
• Insurance
• Investing
• Loans
• Mortgages
• Payday Loans
• Student Loans
• Tax Prep

HEALTH
• Doctors
• Drugs, Pharmacies
• Health Clubs
• Hearing Care
• Hospitals
• Nursing Homes
• Nutrition, Diets
• Vision Care
• Weight Loss
HOUSE & HOME
• Appliances
• Cookware
• Furniture
• Home Improvements
• Lawn & Garden
• Movers
• Pools & Spas
• Realtors, Rental Agents
• Recalls
• Utilities

ELECTRONICS
• Cable TV/DBS
• Cameras
• Cell Phones
• Computers
• Home Electronics
• Internet Access
• Local Phone Service
• Long Distance
• VoIP
SHOPPING
• In-Home
• Online
• Retail Stores
• Sporting Goods
• Supermarkets
• Telemarketers

TRAVEL
• Airlines
• Bus Lines
• Car Rental
• Cruises
• Hotels
• Travel Agents
• Trains

RESOURCES
• Class Actions
• Complaint Form
• Small Claims Guide
• Lemon Laws
CONSUMER NEWS
• Latest News
• Automotive
• Telecom
• Financial
• Health
• Homeowners
• Scams
• Seniors
• Travel
• More ...

RECALLS
• Automotive
• Children's Products
• Drugs
• Food
• Household Products
• Sporting Goods

ABOUT US
• FAQ
• Privacy Policy
• Advertise With Us
• Newsroom
• Syndication
• Terms of Use

Terms of Use Your use of this site constitutes acceptance of the Terms of Use

Advertisements on this site are placed and controlled by outside advertising networks. ConsumerAffairs.com does not evaluate or endorse the products and services advertised. See the FAQ for more information.

Company Response Welcome If complaints about your company appear on our site, we welcome your response. Please see the Response Form for more information.

For more information, see the FAQ and privacy policy. The information on this Web site is general in nature and is not intended as a substitute for competent legal advice.  ConsumerAffairs.com Inc. makes no representation as to the accuracy of the information herein provided and assumes no liability for any damages or loss arising from the use thereof. 

Copyright © 2003-2009 ConsumerAffairs.com Inc.  All Rights Reserved.    The contents of this site may not be republished, reprinted, rewritten or recirculated without written permission.