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APIC, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, which was founded in 1973 and boasts thousands of members is pushing to make it mandatory for all health care workers to get an annual flu vaccination.
APIC released a statement on October 9th, recommending that "influenza vaccine be required annually for all healthcare personnel with direct patient care."
While extolling the virtues of the yearly flu shot, healthcare workers themselves have less than a 50% compliance record of getting vaccinated.
Robert Roos of CIDRAP News brings us more detail. Follow the link to read the entire article.
APIC seeks mandate for flu shots in health workers
Robert Roos
News Editor
Oct 10, 2008 (CIDRAP News) – In the face of chronic low influenza vaccination rates among healthcare workers, the leading US society of infection control professionals says it's time to require medically eligible workers to either get the immunization or sign a form saying they understand the risks to patients if they skip it.
"As part of a comprehensive strategy, we recommend that influenza vaccine be required annually for all healthcare personnel with direct patient care," the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) said in a policy statement released yesterday.
"Organizations should adopt a system in which an informed declination is obtained from employees that decline for other than medical reasons," the statement continues. "This information should be utilized by the facility to develop improvement strategies for the following vaccine season."
APIC urges vaccination for all medical and nonmedical personnel in contact with patients or patient samples, including physicians, nurses, physical therapists, dieticians, religious workers, and cleaning, kitchen, and laboratory personnel.
Voluntary programs haven't worked
Recent national survey data show that only 42% of healthcare workers receive an annual flu shot, and the rate has not risen significantly in the past decade, the APIC statement notes. Long-standing recommendations from APIC, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other national organizations have made little difference.
