Starting on Sept. 1, 2016, California will be the first state to require vaccinations for all childcare workers. Come September, daycare center employees and pre-school workers must be up-to-date on each vaccine listed on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s adult immunization schedule, including influenza, pertussis and measles. While immunization rules are now in place for childcare workers, they do not apply to healthcare personnel. Currently, only three states have healthcare-worker immunization requirements on the books, and voluntary compliance is hardly universal around the country: Only 75.2 percent of U.S. healthcare workers received a flu vaccination in the 2013-14 season, according to the CDC.
Ambulatory surgery center and hospital employees are at risk of being exposed to serious diseases in their work environment, and should receive vaccines in order to lower the chance of contracting or spreading vaccine-preventable diseases. Without a comprehensive employee immunization plan in place, ASCs put patients at a high risk of developing diseases. The CDC, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee all recommend that U.S. healthcare workers receive at least annual influenza vaccinations. Even more, to protect themselves and patients, all physicians and clinical staff should comply with the following CDC recommendations for vaccinating against infectious diseases:
Hepatitis B
Previously unvaccinated healthcare personnel should receive a 3-dose series of vaccinations. The first vaccination should take place immediately, the second should be one month later and the final vaccination should take place six months after the first.
Influenza
All healthcare personnel, including physicians, nurses, emergency medical personnel, dental professionals and students, medical and nursing students, laboratory technicians, pharmacists, hospital volunteers and administrative staff should receive one dose of influenza vaccine annually.
MMR
Healthcare workers who were born in 1957 or later and who have not received the MMR vaccine should receive two doses of MMR — one dose as soon as possible, and one at least 28 days after receiving the first. Varicella – If you haven’t had chickenpox or the varicella vaccine, or if you don’t have an up-to-date blood test demonstrating varicella immunity, the CDC recommends you get two doses of the varicella vaccine. The second vaccine should be given four weeks after the first.
Tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis
Healthcare personnel who haven’t ever received a Tdap vaccine should get a one-time dose as soon as possible. After receipt of the first Tdap dose, a Tdap booster is recommended every 10 years.
Meningococcal
Individuals who are regularly exposed to N. meningitidis should receive one dose. To ensure high rates of compliance, every effort should be made to remind staff of vaccine availability. Sending vaccine-related newsletters, emails and other forms of communication is an efficient and low-cost way to remind employees of the importance of getting vaccinated. Even simple efforts such as putting up informational posters around the ASC and changing computer screen savers can result in higher levels of program participation. Successful vaccination programs typically include an educational component. Holding conferences on vaccination best practices, setting up an informational blog and even sending employees a pamphlet with up-to-date vaccination recommendations and safety statistics can go a long way in improving facility safety.
Organizing several free, on-site vaccination sessions, posting schedules with the times and dates vaccines will be available, and collecting and sharing overall facility vaccination data with employees are additional ways of encouraging more widespread program participation. Some employees may not know which vaccinations they should receive; in order to reduce confusion, the CDC website has made available a quiz that informs employees of any necessary vaccines. Quiz results provide employees with next steps and relay the importance of being vaccinated. Lastly, monitoring vaccination rates is an important part of any employee immunization plan. Without measuring program participation, it is impossible to determine how successful your efforts have been. Setting up and promoting a dashboard with vaccination participation rates not only helps administrators track staff participation, but also gives employees a site-wide look at coverage levels. It’s important to note that the only way to know if employees are immune after vaccines is by doing titers.
For more information on employee immunization, please contact Kathleen Bernicky at kbernicky@regentsurgicalhealth.com.
