Annual Vaccination

Healthcare providers have a moral and ethical obligation not to do harm to patients. Mandatory vaccination could prevent harm from being done to patients by preventing the spread in influenza. “Nursing is the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and abilities,

Influenza results in excess of two hundred thousand hospitalizations in the United States (Tosh & Jacobson, 2010). Mortality rates for influenza related illness have risen. The purpose of this paper is to discuss mandated healthcare influenza vaccination in healthcare workers and will examine a Cochrane review summary, mandated healthcare influenza vaccination, and healthcare worker immunization practices in a Veterans Affairs Health Center.

In conclusion, healthcare workers should have to receive a mandatory influenza vaccine to ensure a safe environment for patients to be treated. The worker’s rights are not violated

Health care governments have endorsed an assortment of vaccination policies and mediations to safeguard against the known dangers of influenza communication, with longer patient stays, absenteeism, intermissions in health care, and death. Studies assessing the consequence of health care workers vaccination found that health care workers influenza vaccination was linked with a decrease in patient death (Murana, 2014). Assessing the results of health care worker influenza vaccination on patient results anticipated that if all health care workers were vaccinated, patient influenza infections could be stopped.

With influenza vaccination rates remaining low in the HCP population, there has recently been an increased emphasis on improving vaccination rates among HCPs. Low influenza vaccination rates have caused many healthcare facilities to initiate and mandate employees to receive the influenza vaccine. Research has proven to reduce morbidity and mortality among patients in healthcare facilities as well as decrease illness and absenteeism among HCPs (Sickbert & Weber, 2013). For these reasons multiple professional organizations are recommending an annual influenza vaccine for all HCPs, if medically suitable for this vaccination. Requiring a physician waiver for non-suitable HCP, all non-suitable HCP are expected or required to wear a mask in direct patient care areas.

Last year, only twenty-six percent of eighteen to forty-nine year olds got the flu shot (Singh, 2014). With an average of 200,000 people hospitalized annually due to flu-related symptoms, these low vaccination rates are generating serious health risks among young adults all over the country (National Consumers League, 2013). This winter, at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C., the average age of people hospitalized with influenza was 28.5 years old, and of those that ended up in the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital, only two of the twenty-two had received the flu vaccination (Singh, 2014). The primary reason that young adults do not get the influenza vaccination is that they believe that they are invincible and influenza is not a serious illness (Singh, 2014). One in five Americans who do not receive the influenza vaccination claims that influenza is not a serious illness (National Consumers League, 2013). Of the Americans who do not get vaccinated, forty-five percent cited their good health as a rationale for bypassing vaccination (National Consumers League, 2013). This may be partly due to the targeted measures by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) to increase vaccination rates among children and the elderly. In comparison to the twenty-six percent of young adults that were vaccinated, 56.6% of children (ages six months to seventeen years old) and 66.2% of seniors (ages 65 and older) were vaccinated. When targeted measures are used, they work. The problem

Information presented should address health care workers issues concerning vaccine safety and effectiveness. Supporting statistical data should validate the decision. There should be widespread discussions about the reasons for the policy. Allowances should be made for those nurses who have a legitimate reason for not taking it. Legitimate reasons could include but not limited to medical and religious reasons. To prevent the possibility of causing Guillain-Barre syndrome only egg free vaccine should be used. Another option would be to establish that a worker is not allergic to egg before receiving the flu vaccine. Review of the policy for effectiveness in preventing the flu and the impact on health care workers should be carried after a specified time

In recent years encouragement to get flu shots has become a yearly mantra. Elderly, children six months to two years, health care workers and immune-deficient people are urged in the strongest terms to go to their doctors or clinics and get a flu shot. This group encompasses about 98 million people. In the fall of 2004 this was in the forefront of American and to some extent the Western World media with the shortage of this flu seasons vaccine. Current medical wisdom states that flu shots are safe, effective and prevent mortality. A recent study published by The Journal of the American Medicine Association (JAMA) has brought the current wisdom into question. On February 14, 2005 JAMA

Requiring influenza vaccinations for childcare admissions has helped increase vaccination rates in these states and reduced serious morbidity from influenza. Since its enactment in 2010, Connecticut has had a 12% decrease in influenza associated hospitalizations in children under four years old (Hadler et al., 2014). Fifteen states currently mandate healthcare workers to be vaccinated against influenza. This mandate aligns with the Healthy people 2020 objective which sets a goal of 90% coverage for health care personnel (Stewart & Cox, 2013). Mandatory influenza vaccination for healthcare workers is supported not only by scientific data but also by ethical principles and legal precedent. It builds trust, enhances patient safety, and strengthens the healthcare workforce. Among healthcare workers already mandated, studies show that overall, vaccinated staff has 30% fewer sick days (Stewart & Cox, 2013). The current mandates for immunizing these groups have been widely successful, now it is time to include school-age

Immunizations are essential components in the primary and preventive care setting to ensure a healthier population. Immunizations are aimed to prevent illnesses such as Tetanus, Diphtheria, Varicella, Hepatitis A, Influenza and Pneumonia to mention a few. Upon their discovery and implementation, vaccines have aid to decrease the incidence of infectious diseases, which were once the leading causes of death in the country and around the world. Despite their validated benefits; amongst the adult population, there are existing misconceptions related to immunization usefulness and effectiveness resulting in an unacceptably low adult vaccination rates and unmet vaccine recommendations. Consequently, leading to approximately 40,000-50,000 preventable death and an increased spread of communicable illnesses("Adult Immunization:

In the healthcare field, it is essential that workers receive the flu vaccination due to the potential to either become infected by a patient or unknowingly spreading the virus to the patient population. The state of New York requires that health care workers in not only hospitals but other medical agencies in the state “be immunized against influenza viruses as a precondition

Numerous studies have been conducted on the advantages of receiving an annual flu vaccine with an emphasis on the health related benefits at the forefront of each study. With the pros and cons of healthcare workers receiving an influenza vaccination being weighed, and findings suggesting the benefit(s) of vaccination outweigh the risks, another testament to the benefits of influenza vaccination has been researched which identifies an area of interest which may be intriguing to people; the financial aspect. Carolyn Buxton Bridges, MD; William W. Thompson, PhD; Martin I. Meltzer, PhD; Gordon R. Reeve, PhD; Walter J. Talamonti, MD, MPH; Nancy J. Cox, PhD; Heather A. Lilac, RN; Henrietta Hall, BS; Alexander Klimov, PhD; Keiji Fukuda, MD, MPH (2000)

Hospital administration considered the strained relationships that could result between the employer and staff and lack of data on mandatory vaccination programs. HMC chose instead to modify their existing vaccination program to include one-on-one influenza and vaccination education, initiate data collection on declinations, and use mobile teams to increase the convenience of vaccination for HCWs (Lynch et al., 2015). Employee compliance could only be achieved by receiving and documenting the vaccination; providing written documentation of a medical exemption from an appropriate healthcare professional, or completing an online influenza educational module followed by a 10-15 minute one-on-one appointment with an employee health nurse or physician (Lynch et al., 2015). The addition of the one-on-one education/training sessions using the “stick” approach resulted in a 50% reduction in declinations for non-medical reasons and an overall HCW vaccination rate increase to 93% (Lynch et al., 2015).

Influenza, as stated above, is a preventable spreadable infection. The goal of this education session was to expand the knowledge of long-term residents on vaccination against influenza. In a preliminary meeting, it was found that over 15 residents had refused this years’ influenza vaccination. The objectives of the teaching plan included: identifying signs and symptoms of influenza, discuss both positive and negative feels during the vaccine, identify exclusion criteria to receiving the vaccine, and demonstrate arm exercises to prevent soreness after vaccination (“Government”, 2014).

The health-care practices describe the belief of the organization that is important to deliver health care to a diverse community. The health care promotion and wellness, such diabetes and hypertension clinic class are offered to high risks patients to provide education and awareness of disease. In addition, mammogram, pap smear test, and colorectal screening are some of the organization practices for early illness detection. The health care providers and the staff, initiates the above care through referrals, appointments and reminders sent to patients via email, letters and telephone calls. The mandatory flu vaccine to all employees is an annual health care services that the organization is providing. However, varied belief and opinion of the employees regarding the flu vaccines are respected by the organization.