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Many instances have been noted that healthcare providers are bringing the infection to the patients and not the patients bring the infection to the staff. Furthermore, It is well documented that nosocomial infection occurs (Rice, 2010) and hospitalized individuals face more complications and greater mortality from influenza. Healthcare providers are indirectly causing undo harm to patients that are more susceptible to infections such as influenza. “In nursing home settings, vaccination of healthcare workers has been shown to decrease morbidity and mortality among nursing home residents” (Babcock, et al., 2010, p. 459). One study suggests that there is a higher rate of occurrence of influenza among healthcare providers than residents. “In elder-care settings, influenza among staff precedes illness among residents, suggesting that health care workers introduce the virus into the setting” (Anikeeva, Braunack-Mayer, & Rogers, 2009, p. 25).

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.

To increase patient and hcw safety, health care workers should be mandate to get vaccination. Hcw are more at risk to get infection because of their contact with patient and then to spread it to patients, specially patients who are susceptible to the infection (CITATION). Influenza symptoms appears within 1-4 days. Before even hcw workes know that they have influenza infection and they are contagious, they may spread the infection to patient . Also, if hcw are infected, it will cause impact on their mental and physical functioning. Two randomly conducted studies have supported that mandatory influenza vaccination for hcw helped in decreasing death rate upto 44% in nursing home residents (Ottenberg, 2011). Potter et. al. identified that because of increased staff vaccination mortality rate reduced from 17% to 10% (Suillivan, 2010). The other fact which can effect patient safety due to low rate of vaccination is absenteeism of hcw during influenza epidemic.

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.

Monitoring Flu vaccinations is one of our performance measures in my facility where beginning in the month of September to about March, you have what we call a clinical reminder that you have to complete every time you see a patient and this ensures that every clinician that opens this patients chart will have the opportunity to ask the patient if they have received a flu shot for the year and if not and encourage then to get one if they have not had it; The (CDC) encourages employers to make flu vaccinations compulsory in the workplace because it found that compliance among organizations with a mandatory vaccination policy was as high as 88.8 percent compared to 44.3 percent in organizations that did not; Although there are individuals

Every year, for the last 14 years of my nursing career I have dealt with the same controversial nursing issue. It happens once a year around this season, and the debate never seems to improve. All this fuss comes from the dreaded influenza vaccine and whether it should be mandatory. The phenomenal invention of this vaccine has led to many misconceptions, imperfect theories, and rumored abominable side effects.

Immunizations recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are important in helping to protect individuals from potentially harmful, and even fatal, vaccine-preventable diseases. The CDC recommends routine vaccination to prevent 17 vaccine-preventable diseases that can occur in infants, children, adolescents, and adults (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011). Adhering to vaccine schedules and completing vaccine series according to state specific age requirements may help with decreasing disease outbreaks, decrease missed school days for school age children due to illness, and decrease socioeconomic loss that may happen secondary to parents missing work to stay home to care for a sick child. According to the CDC (2011), vaccines are administered consistent with age-specific risks for disease, age-specific risks for complications and age-specific responses to vaccination. Within a primary care clinic setting, especially a pediatric practice, completing vaccines as scheduled by the CDC recommendations is ideal.

Flu/influenza is a leading pressure associated with the winter season. It has huge impacts on the external community, providers of direct healthcare services and a wide range of health and social services that supports people at risk. This policy brief is directed towards the complete mitigation of vaccine shortage that was encountered in the 2004-2005 flu season in the United States. There is a need to develop program that would address these problems, implement vaccination programs that would place priorities on accessibility to the population at risk, and the entire community, providing resilience for the entire country during the forthcoming flu season.

Many elderlies are not being vaccinated against the influenza virus leaving them unprotected from this disease. The current practice is to treat patients for acute or chronic conditions and prevention is being forgotten. Patient charts and immunization records need to be reviewed by all healthcare providers to identify patients that have received or need to receive the influenza vaccine. Patients that have not received the vaccine will be given information about the vaccine and the option to receive it. This approach will help increase knowledge and participation among the elderly population reducing the risk of getting the flu.

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).

Washington Memorial Hospital is currently interested in changing our image and determined to renew our organization. The organizational renewal started with a change in our hospital’s vision, mission, and strategic plan. Our new vision is to make our hospital a “Center of Excellence” in Cardiac Care and Surgery. Our mission is to provide and deliver safe and high-quality care specializing in the field of cardiology and surgery.

All clinics that provide physicals and vaccinations should assess and develop approaches to what best fits their population of patients to increase immunization rates. Through promoting vaccines at yearly physicals, having a reminder system, and creating convenient times and locations to receive a vaccination, we can increase the vaccination rate and lower the rate of even more vaccine preventable

The seasonal flu is unpleasant as well as costly for employers and employees. Since almost 111 million working days found that the loss due to flu season according to the US Department of Health and Human Services. That characterizes about $ 7 billion annually in lost productivity and sick leave. Those some companies are allowing for demanding that employees get a flu vaccine per each flu season. However, before implementing this requirement, the company, it is necessary to consider a number of factors. Flu vaccines provide maximum protection against the virus, but perform their logistics costs and mandates can lead to unhappy employees. During influenza season in 2012, in the northern Indiana hospital got fired to eight workers who rejected

A day for the public health nurse can vary depending on which seasons she is going into. During the start of a school year she could give up to 800 shots just in 2 weeks to update school vaccines. During the cold seasons, there is roughly 500 to 600 shots given for influenza shots. Every day she logs on to ShowMeVacs, which is used by the state to access vaccination records for any individual that has received an immunization. Many pediatric patients come in to receive their immunization shots even if they don’t have insurance. The health department does not like to turn anyone away if they ask for immunization because this may be the only way they can get an immunization.

Our Radiology department has currently developed goals for our department which is implementing a transfer policy, providing flu immunization and creating a healthy challenge to keep our employees healthier. The transfer policy was created by our Risk Manager and Human Resources Department because in the past couple of months our Radiology Department has had five accidents when transferring patients for exams, this caused injuries to our employee’s which ultimately lead to three employees to be put on worker’s compensation . The immunization program is to provide free vaccination to employees to reduce turnover during flu season, and help our employees fight off the infection before it hits, while the healthy challenge is to promote self-confidence, bring teamwork in the organization and keep employees physically and mentally healthy.