Pros And Cons Of 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.

Vaccinations have been a topic of controversy among various populations for decades. The controversy exists around the decision to be vaccinated for certain contagious diseases or to omit receiving vaccinations for various reasons including those of medical, ethical, and religious derivation. The profession of healthcare faces a particular obstacle in regard to annual vaccinations against influenza. This review will discuss the following ethical debate: Is it ethical to mandate health care workers to receive annual influenza vaccinations? For the purposes of this review, the term ‘health care worker’ will be defined as any person who is employed by a health care institution and participates in personal interactions with patients. Undoubtedly, registered nurses (RNs) are among the most prevalent of all health care workers. This topic was chosen because influenza is a rampant and contagious respiratory virus that carries the potential to infect anyone. According the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) (2014), approximately 5 to 15 percent of the United States population becomes infected with influenza annually and roughly 200,000 people are hospitalized each year due to influenza. Clearly, influenza generates havoc for many people; however, the virus can be largely prevented by receiving an annual vaccination. Annual influenza vaccinations have been rendered the best way to prevent seasonal influenza and have also been deemed safe (CDC, 2014). Health care workers

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.

For the past ten years, we at Virginia Mason Medical Center have been implementing mandatory influenza vaccination. This is due to the flu vaccination being able to reduce flu illnesses and prevent flu-related hospitalizations. According to the Center for Control and Disease (CDC, 2014) during 2012-2013, an estimated 45% of the U.S population got vaccinated, helping to prevent an estimated 6.6 million flu-related illness, with 3.2 million flu-related medical visits, almost 80,000 hospitalizations and roughly $87 billion dollars in total economic burden. Influenza is extremely contagious and each year on an average 5%-20% of the U.S population get the flu with tens of thousands die from a flu-related illness. Therefore, many health cares setting along with Virginia Mason Medical Center is mandating all their healthcare workers to get the influenza vaccination. Consequently, making annual influenza vaccination requirement for healthcare workers a continuing and debatable health topic. The potential of getting the vaccination have great benefits to healthcare professionals, their patients, and their families by

The influenza vaccination in not only beneficial to recipients but also those that come in contact with the individuals exposed to or at risk for contracting influenza. Health care workers are at a constant risk of exposure to various diseases and illness including influenza. An emergency such as a vaccination shortage for influenza will not only affect at risk individuals but spread rapidly to all those exposed without knowledge or a-symptomatic at time of encounter. Health care workers will be exposed in physician offices, hospitals, emergency care or urgent care centers with heightened possibility of spreading the illness (CDC, 2015). Health care workers are not limited to the obvious: physicians or nurses but also, therapists, EMS,

Seasonal influenza is a major cause of mortality and morbidity in the industrialized world. The United States alone averages more than 23,000 influenza-associated deaths annually (Cortes-Penfield, 2014). Everyone is given the option to receive the flu vaccination each year. The vaccine is offered in health care facilities, clinics, and pharmacies around

Annually there are a number of children who contract the influenza during the influenza season that results in an increase in costs in pediatric office visits and antibiotic and other medications consumption and also in a significant increase in absences from school and work. Thus influenza vaccination of children can help reduce the number of visit to pediatric office,  hospitalizations, and help prevent the spread of influenza in the wider community. Moreover vaccinating children is cost effective when considering all the cost of treatment for influenza and its complications. Therefore yearly vaccination of children with the inactivated influenza vaccine save  parent money and time away from the pediatric clinic. Influenza vaccine does not

The problem can be better quantified by gaining understanding of the importance of receiving the flu vaccination. The manager of any health care facility should ensure that staff and patients, specifically those with a higher risk of contracting the flu, receives the yearly influenza vaccination. Health care staff that does not comply with yearly influenza vaccinations should be transferred to a unit with limited patient contact. High-risk patients who are not compliant with receiving the vaccine are to receive further education of the deadly effects associated with developing the influenza virus. In all patients it is imperative to provide proper patient

The question is, should the government mandate vaccines? Those in favor of child vaccinations, believe that they are the greatest health developments of the 20th century. While those against them believe that a child’s immune system permits either a natural or acquired resistance to diseases than putting questionable toxic ingredients into a child’s body. In the US, 50 states require vaccinations for children entering public schools, though no mandatory federal vaccination laws exist. 50 states issue medical exemptions only (1), 48 states (excluding Mississippi and West Virginia) permit religious exemptions, and 31 states exclude Philosophical exemptions. (2)

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)

Should children be vaccinated? This is a question that has been a hot topic for some time now. All children should be vaccinated. We often ask “Why should we have our children vaccinated”? There are pros and cons to vaccinations. Vaccinations will reduce the risk of illness, provide a safer environment, and keep the parents from worry as much. In some cases, people think they cause more harm than anything.

According to Healthy People 2020 a goal of theirs is to “increase immunization rates and reduce preventable infections.” The influenza virus is one of these preventable infections, which can cause serious harm to patients. The influenza virus is known as the “flu.” Everyone in his or her life has had some experience with the flu, whether that is himself or herself or a family member. What if there was a way to ensure people from contracting a strain of the influenza virus? Well, thanks to technology and medical research there is.

On a global level, the influenza vaccination in children is recommended and strongly encouraged. These vaccinations are recommended for children especially if they are to be exposed to a daycare or school environment because of the potential for spreading infection. Unfortunately, the influenza vaccine is not administered as needed because of the lack of education about the effectiveness and complications for physicians and parents. Also, the vaccination is not always readily available. Many clinicians vary on there methods and routines of administering the vaccine, although its proven effectiveness warrants a more uniformed practice of delivery. Based on clinical studies, an increase of this vaccination is recommended to protect against the complications and spread of influenza.