Hospital Employee Health – August 1, 2005
August 1, 2005
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Is a mandatory flu vaccine policy on the horizon for health care workers?
Pressure is building on hospitals to obtain signed declination statements from health care workers who choose not to receive the influenza vaccine. Two federal advisory panels considered the declination policy as just another possible strategy to boost vaccination rates and monitor employee response to vaccination efforts. But some employee health professionals worry that it would become a de facto guideline and would create a new paperwork burden as they struggle to track down employees and verify their vaccination status. -
Fit-test frequency is left up to hospitals
Periodic, not annual, fit-testing will continue to be the watchword in the tuberculosis guidelines that currently are being finalized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC has declined to define periodic, leaving the decision to individual health care facilities. -
OSHA: Fit-test policy change requires new rule
This is a copy of the letter Jonathan Snare, administrator for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration sent to Rep. Roger Wicker (R-MS) on the issue of annual fit-testing. -
New needleless valves leading to spike in BSIs
Health care epidemiologists are reporting an increase in bloodstream infections (BSIs) due to the use of needleless mechanical valve devices that connect to central venous catheters. Originally intended to prevent needlesticks and protect health care workers from bloodborne infections, the devices now appear to be increasing the risk of BSIs in patients. -
VA teaches a model for sharps safety
See one; do one; teach one isnt an adequate training plan for medical residents when it comes to sharps safety. Reducing needlesticks requires a sustained, comprehensive approach with ongoing opportunities for training, notes Annemarie Leyden, EdD, RN, chief of learning resources at the VA New York Harbor Healthcare (NYH) System, Brooklyn campus. -
Follow these steps toward sharps safety
June Fisher, MD, director of the Training for Development of Innovative Control Technologies (TDICT) Project in San Francisco, offers the following advise about establishing a sharps safety evaluation program. -
Get a step ahead of your injuries
When an injury occurs, its helpful to dissect the incident and figure out how to correct safety problems. But wouldnt it be better to prevent the injury in the first place? -
FAQ: Varicella vaccination prevents disease spread
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends varicella vaccination for susceptible health care workers, especially if they have close contact with patients who are at high risk for serious complications. That includes premature infants born to susceptible mothers, infants who are born at less than 28 weeks of gestation or who weigh less than 1,000 g at birth (regardless of maternal immune status), pregnant women, and immunocompromised people. -
News Brief
An undiagnosed surgical resident with active tuberculosis exposed patients and co-workers at four Boston-area hospitals. More than 3,700 patients and hospital employees received notices that they needed to be tested.