BACKGROUND: Although influenza vaccination of healthcare workers reduces influenza-like illness and overall mortality among patients, national rates of vaccination for healthcare providers are unacceptably low. We report the implementation of a new mandatory vaccination policy by means of a streamlined electronic enrollment and vaccination tracking system at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Center. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the outcome of a new mandatory staff influenza vaccination program. METHODS: A new hospital policy endorsed by all the component NIH institutes and the Clinical Center departments mandated that employees who have patient contact either be vaccinated annually against influenza or sign a declination specifying the reason(s) for refusal. Those who fail to comply would be required to appear before the Medical Executive Committee to explain their rationale. We collected in a database the names of all physician and nonphysician staff who had patient contact. When a staff member either was vaccinated or declined vaccination, a simple system of badge scanning and bar-coded data entry captured essential data. The database was continuously updated, and it provided a list of noncompliant employees with whom to follow up. RESULTS: By February 12, 2009, all 2,754 identified patient-care employees either were vaccinated or formally declined vaccination. Among those, 2,424 (88%) were vaccinated either at the NIH or elsewhere, 36 (1.3%) reported medical contraindications, and 294 (10.7%) declined vaccination for other reasons. Among the 294 employees without medical contraindications who declined, the most frequent reason given for declination was concern about side effects. CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of a novel vaccination tracking process and a hospital policy requiring influenza vaccination or declination yielded dramatic improvement in healthcare worker vaccination rates and likely will result in increased patient safety in our hospital.
BACKGROUND: Although influenza vaccination of healthcare workers reduces influenza-like illness and overall mortality among patients, national rates of vaccination for healthcare providers are unacceptably low. We report the implementation of a new mandatory vaccination policy by means of a streamlined electronic enrollment and vaccination tracking system at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Center. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the outcome of a new mandatory staff influenza vaccination program. METHODS: A new hospital policy endorsed by all the component NIH institutes and the Clinical Center departments mandated that employees who have patient contact either be vaccinated annually against influenza or sign a declination specifying the reason(s) for refusal. Those who fail to comply would be required to appear before the Medical Executive Committee to explain their rationale. We collected in a database the names of all physician and nonphysician staff who had patient contact. When a staff member either was vaccinated or declined vaccination, a simple system of badge scanning and bar-coded data entry captured essential data. The database was continuously updated, and it provided a list of noncompliant employees with whom to follow up. RESULTS: By February 12, 2009, all 2,754 identified patient-care employees either were vaccinated or formally declined vaccination. Among those, 2,424 (88%) were vaccinated either at the NIH or elsewhere, 36 (1.3%) reported medical contraindications, and 294 (10.7%) declined vaccination for other reasons. Among the 294 employees without medical contraindications who declined, the most frequent reason given for declination was concern about side effects. CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of a novel vaccination tracking process and a hospital policy requiring influenza vaccination or declination yielded dramatic improvement in healthcare worker vaccination rates and likely will result in increased patient safety in our hospital.
Authors: Samantha B Dolan; Elizabeth J Kalayil; Megan C Lindley; Faruque Ahmed Journal: Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol Date: 2015-12-17 Impact factor: 3.254
Authors: Abigale L Ottenberg; Joel T Wu; Gregory A Poland; Robert M Jacobson; Barbara A Koenig; Jon C Tilburt Journal: Am J Public Health Date: 2011-02 Impact factor: 9.308
Authors: Megan C Lindley; Suchita A Lorick; Anita Geevarughese; Soo-Jeong Lee; Monear Makvandi; Brady L Miller; David A Nace; Carmela Smith; Faruque Ahmed Journal: Am J Prev Med Date: 2013-09 Impact factor: 5.043
Authors: Kawsar R Talaat; Neal A Halsey; Amber B Cox; Christian L Coles; Anna P Durbin; Amritha Ramakrishnan; Jay H Bream Journal: Influenza Other Respir Viruses Date: 2018-01-04 Impact factor: 4.380