Group: Mandatory flu shots not justified in health care
Group: Mandatory flu shots not justified in health care
A national worker safety group says that mandatory flu shots are not justified for health care workers.
In a new position statement, the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) in Elk Grove Village, IL, says that the use of declination statements should not be used because there is “no evidence to suggest that such programs will increase compliance." (Editor's note: The full position statement can be found on-line at www.acoem.org.)
The statement — Influenza Control Programs for Healthcare Workers — applies to seasonal influenza, and ACOEM notes that it is not necessarily appropriate during a major antigenic shift in the virus that results in a pandemic situation.
Mandatory flu shots are not justified because the vaccine itself is variably effective, says William Buchta, MD, MPH, FACOEM, chair of ACOEM's Medical Center Occupational Health Section and author of the paper. In addition, vaccination does not preclude the need for other controls and a coercive program has the potential to harm the employer-employee relationship, he adds. In addition, the ACOEM points out that “given the ubiquitous nature of influenza in the community, patients will continue to be exposed to influenza through family members and friends regardless of the vaccination status of their health care workers, with whom they have much less intimate contact."
ACOEM endorses a multifaceted influenza control program in health care facilities and encourages health care organizations to provide influenza vaccine and/or prophylactic medication at no expense to employees. The group notes that policies requiring mandatory compliance with employee vaccination or prophylactic medication have been successfully challenged in Canada.
“Making people sign a statement that they have declined to receive a flu shot not only impacts the employer-employee relationship in a negative way, but diverts resources from activities known to increase compliance and devotes them to enforcement of a policy with no proven benefit," Buchta says. “Influenza control can be successful with creative programs that employ the ‘carrot' rather than the ‘stick' while still respecting the rights of both patients and employees."
A national worker safety group says that mandatory flu shots are not justified for health care workers.Subscribe Now for Access
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