The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends annual influenza vaccination for all health care personnel to reduce influenza-related morbidity and mortality among both health care personnel and their patients.
According to the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report published in September, during the 2015–16 influenza season, vaccination coverage was 96.5% among health care personnel working in settings where vaccination was required. Overall, 37.8% of surveyed health care personnel were required to be vaccinated against influenza, similar to the percentages in the 2013–14 and 2014–15 seasons. Sixty-one percent of health care personnel working in hospitals had requirements for influenza vaccination, which is at least 27 percentage points more than the proportion in any other work setting.
Coverage in long-term care settings increased by 5.3 percentage points compared with the previous season. Vaccination coverage continued to be higher among health care personnel working in hospitals (91.2%) and lower among health care personnel working in ambulatory (79.8%) and long-term care settings (69.2%). Coverage continued to be highest among physicians (95.6%) and lowest among assistants and aides (64.1%), and highest overall among health care personnel who were required by their employer to be vaccinated (96.5%). Among vaccinated health care personnel, 72.7% were vaccinated at their workplace.
According to the report, influenza vaccination among health care personnel in long-term care settings is especially important because influenza vaccine effectiveness is generally lowest in the elderly. In addition, multiple studies have demonstrated that vaccination of health care personnel in long-term care settings confers a health benefit to patients, including reduced risk for mortality. Health care personnel working in long-term care settings consistently are the least likely to report that their employer either required or promoted vaccination, or made vaccination available onsite at no cost.
Implementing strategies shown to improve vaccination coverage among health care personnel in a workplace, including vaccination requirements or offering onsite vaccinations at no cost over multiple days, can help protect long-term care patients from influenza. Employers can use the long-term care web-based toolkit developed by CDC and the National Vaccine Program Office to access resources, strategies, and educational materials for increasing influenza vaccination among health care personnel in long-term care settings.
Implementing comprehensive evidence-based worksite intervention strategies will be important to ensure healthcare personnel and patients are protected against influenza. Prior to implementing a mandatory influenza vaccination policy healthcare organizations should consult with legal counsel to ensure there is not conflict with state or federal laws.
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