Hospital Employee Health – January 1, 2020
January 1, 2020
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Mass Flu Shots of More than 8,000 Healthcare Workers in One Day
Through a wide-reaching mass flu immunization effort that doubled as an emergency drill, a healthcare system in Delaware recently vaccinated a staggering 8,035 employees in a single day. Such an effort takes considerable planning and administrative support, but there are a multitude of positives — not the least of which is readying a large portion of staff for flu season before the annual virus starts circulating.
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Sharps Injuries: Emotional, Statistical Challenges
The emotional toll of needlesticks and sharps injuries to healthcare workers often is overshadowed by the sheer numbers and statistical analysis. The ongoing study of sharps injuries and exposures in healthcare workers is supported by The Association of Occupational Health Professionals in Healthcare.
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An Unusual and Persistent Needlestick
A lab worker sustained a needlestick exposure to the Vaccinia virus (VACV) — an Orthopoxvirus used in biomedical research — and was removed from work for four months, the CDC reported. In December 2018, a healthy, 26-year-old female laboratorian was injecting VACV into the tail of a mouse when she sustained a needlestick injury to her left index finger.
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Patient Handling Challenges for the OR Nurse
While the operating room is on the cutting edge in innovative technology and procedures, the ability to safely handle and reposition patients too often is stuck in the past. The Association of periOperative Registered Nurses is emphasizing the risk of injury to healthcare workers in moving and handling surgical patients, and has issued guidelines and toolkits to address the issue.
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Antivaccine Movement Pushing States on Immunization
Employee health professionals should be aware that the national antivaccine movement is lobbying state legislatures to restrict or limit use of vaccines critical for public health. Vaccine avoidance based on misinformation threatens herd immunity and vulnerable populations that cannot be immunized. The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology is staying abreast of this trend, and advising vaccine advocates to speak up if they see such laws appear on their state dockets.