Vaccination and Health Care Workers
Posted By Chris on August 22, 2010
Who spends more time with patients than the healthcare worker? Physicians, nurses, dieticians, physical therapist, housekeeping, and social workers are in and out of patient rooms multiple times a day. But for the most part, the nursing assistants spend the majority of the shift physically caring for Long-term Care patients; no one else gets in such close proximity, or as often.
If any healthcare worker is harboring an occult, infectious disease, it is more than likely he or she will have the opportunity to transmit those organisms to the patient. Without positive participation in a vaccine program, healthcare workers are potential sources of transmissible diseases. APIC Influenza Vaccine for Healthcare Workers
Staff developers can help prevent the transmission of infections by developing a strong vaccine program:
- The staff developer can promote staff education on the benefits of vaccination.
- Ask healthcare workers why they are resistant to taking vaccines.
- Discuss fear of needle sticks versus placing patients and staff at risk for transmission of infections.
- Discuss resistance to TB testing on the part of healthcare workers. The worker may insist without documentation, that they have always had a positive PPD, then request a chest x-ray in lieu of an intradermal needle stick.
- DSD in-service can point out the current national, state and local infection control recommendations do not support the use of a chest x-ray for convenience; compliance with TB testing is a condition of employment.
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