Thursday, May 1, 2014

More Hospital Healthcare Workers Getting Influenza Vaccinations

(Salt Lake City, UT) – The Utah Department of Health (UDOH) released the annual Healthcare Worker (HCW) Influenza Vaccination Coverage Report for HCWs in licensed* Utah hospitals. The report was developed by the UDOH in partnership with the Utah Healthcare Infection Prevention Governance Committee (UHIP GC). Using this report, Utahns will be able to compare influenza vaccination rates for healthcare workers among licensed hospitals in Utah.

The report lists all reporting licensed Utah hospitals, along with their influenza vaccination rates for hospital HCWs, for the 2013-2014 influenza season. The data show that healthcare worker influenza vaccination rates in Utah hospitals have consistently increased, from 75.5 percent in 2008 to 96.2 percent in 2014. The report is available on the UDOH Healthcare Associated Infections (HAI) website at http://health.utah.gov/epi/HAI/data.html.

“Low HCW influenza immunization rates can lead to increased influenza infections, putting patients at risk for serious complications, said Allyn Nakashima, M.D., State Epidemiologist, UDOH. “The good news is that Utah hospitals continue to see improvements in influenza vaccination rates among HCWs, reducing the potential for these deadly infections.”

The UDOH and the UHIP GC agree that influenza vaccination of healthcare personnel is a critical patient safety practice that should be required in all healthcare facilities, unless an organization has achieved a vaccination rate greater than 95 percent by other means. In November 2007, the UDOH adopted a Healthcare Associated Infections reporting rule (Rule 38670 Epidemiology, Healthcare Associated Infection.) This rule requires that hospitals report healthcare worker influenza vaccination rates.
 In November 2007, the UDOH adopted a Healthcare Associated Infections reporting rule
(Rule386‐70Epidemiology, Healthcare Associated Infection). This rule requires that hospitals report healthcare worker influenza vaccination rates. 
 
In April 2011, the UHIP GC recommended that all healthcare delivery facilities in Utah implement a policy of compulsory annual influenza vaccination for all healthcare personnel. While the Utah hospitals are not required to have mandatory influenza vaccination programs for healthcare workers, some Utah healthcare facilities have compulsory programs in place. Healthcare organizations that do not have an effective healthcare worker influenza vaccination policy are strongly encouraged to develop one.

Visit http://health.utah.gov/epi/HAI/goverance_committee.html for more information about UHIP GC members.

*Licensed hospitals include acute care, long-term acute care, critical access, rehabilitation, psychiatric, government and children’s hospitals.

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The mission of the Utah Department of Health is to protect the public's health through
preventing avoidable illness, injury, disability and premature death, assuring access to
affordable, quality healthcare, and promoting healthy lifestyles.