With National Influenza Vaccination Week the second week of December, and several months of influenza vaccination yet to come, the Immunization Action Coalition is inviting IAC Express readers to place orders now for the National Influenza Vaccine Summit’s 2008-09 Influenza Vaccination Pocket Information Guides. They’re free!
Doctors Often Skip Flu Vaccination Advice When Talking With Patients
Despite widespread and ongoing campaigns designed to encourage more Americans to get vaccinated against seasonal influenza, a recent survey found physicians do not communicate with patients about influenza risks. Click here to read the full article >>
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The “Flu Clinic Locator” Gives the Public a Way to Find an Influenza Clinic and Providers a Way to Promote Their Clinic
A project of the American Lung Association, the “Flu Clinic Locator” gives individuals a way to find an influenza clinic that’s near their home or workplace. And it gives healthcare providers a way to promote their clinics to people in their community. In either case, the first step is to go to http://www.flucliniclocator.org
To find a clinic: Individuals enter their home or workplace zip code and other information in the tinted box titled “Flu Clinic Locator,” located toward the right of the page. The individual is then taken to a chart that gives the location of nearby influenza clinics, their dates and times, and their distance from the zip code entered.
To promote a clinic: Providers interested in having their clinics listed will find detailed information by clicking on the box titled “All About the Flu Clinic Locator.” It is located in the vertical bar to the left of the page. Providers will be taken to a page of information and instructions.
CDC’s December 12 Net Conference to Focus on Influenza Vaccination of Health Care Personnel
The next “Current Issues in Immunization” net conference will be held on December 12 from 2PM to 3PM ET. This coincides with the 2008 observation of National Influenza Vaccination Week, which is scheduled for December 8-14.
Andrew T. Kroger, MD, MPH, will speak on influenza vaccination of healthcare personnel, and Alan Janssen, MSPH, will present case studies about influenza vaccination of healthcare personnel.
Registration is limited and will close on December 10 or when the course is full. To register, go to: http://www2.cdc.gov/vaccines/ed/ciinc
FDA Urges Vaccination Programs for Healthcare Personnel
November 4, 2008 — Because unvaccinated healthcare personnel (HCP) can be a primary cause of influenza outbreaks in healthcare settings, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is urging healthcare organizations to ensure that HCP have access to influenza vaccination programs. Read More >>
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Google Begins Tracking US Flu Trends
The search engine Google takes a another step into the health care arena by announcing their new tool to track cases of influenza in the U.S.
Flu Shots: Why Don’t More Nurses Get Them?
Flu season is fast approaching. Have you gotten a flu shot yet? If not, you are currently among the majority of nurses who choose not to get immunized annually, despite the urging of public health officials and nursing leaders… Read More at http://nursezone.com/Nursing-News-Events/more-news.aspx?ID=18500
Joint Commission Monograph to Offer Promising Strategies for Immunizing Health Care Personnel; Health Care Organizations Encouraged to Submit Practices
(OAKBROOK TERRACE, Ill. – November 5, 2008) In an effort to help improve the rate of health care worker influenza immunization, The Joint Commission will produce a new monograph that includes examples of successful strategies and tools that have been used to improve immunization rates. The monograph, with funding from sanofi pasteur, will be produced in partnership with leaders in the fields of infection prevention and infectious disease from the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA), and the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID).
According to the CDC, vaccination coverage of health care personnel remains low despite the documented benefits on patient outcomes, staff absenteeism, and reducing infections among staff. In addition, increased vaccination rates can reduce costs within health care organizations. Health care personnel can acquire influenza from patients and can also spread the disease to vulnerable patients or other staff. In 2007, The Joint Commission implemented a new standard in hospitals and long term care facilities requiring that influenza vaccinations be offered to staff and practitioners.
“Simply offering vaccination is not sufficient to increase immunization rates,” says Jerod M. Loeb, Ph.D., executive vice president, Quality Measurement and Research, The Joint Commission. “Increasing immunizations requires staff awareness, education, creative strategies for vaccine delivery, and a shift in organizational culture to sustain improvement.”
The Joint Commission will use funding derived, in part, from an educational grant from sanofi pasteur, to gather and review real-world examples of successful initiatives for implementing influenza immunization programs for health care personnel. The free, educational monograph, planned for publication in mid-2009, will include:
· Information about the impact and prevalence of the acquisition and transmission of influenza in the health care workplace;
· An overview of barriers to successful influenza immunization programs and strategies for overcoming them; and
· A compilation of promising practices and effective strategies for implementing health care personnel influenza immunization programs.
Health care organizations are encouraged to submit examples of immunization programs that have successfully increased immunization rates among health care personnel. Submissions can be made online. For more information on the project, please contact Linda Kusek, associate project director, Division of Quality Measurement and Research, The Joint Commission at 630-792-5616 or lkusek@jointcommission.org
Association for Professionals in Infection Control Release Position Paper of Flu Shots for Health Care Workers
Read it here:
Send a Health e-Card!
Send an e-card to friends, family and co-workers to encourage them to get a flu shot!
http://www2a.cdc.gov/ecards/browse.asp?act=brs&chkcategory=Flu&submit1=GO
