It's the time of year that healthcare providers should be asking if you intend to get a flu shot to protect yourself from seasonal flu. This year, you might consider posing the same question to them.
Amazingly, the CDC reports that just 42% of healthcare workers nationwide get a flu shot. In some places, fewer than a quarter of workers in a hospital or physician office are getting vaccinated. That means not only are they leaving themselves unprotected from flu, but they may also be a potential source of flu infection for patients.
Last year, GSK and the Joint Commission Resources (JCR), a non-profit affiliate of the hospital accreditation organization the Joint Commission, have teamed up to turn this trend around. The Flu Vaccination Challenge aims to increase overall flu immunization rates in hundreds of hospitals across the country. More than 1,700 hospitals--including at least one hospital from each of the 50 states--participated.
The results are in. As part of the Challenge:
· Over 1.1 million healthcare workers received a flu shot
· Approximately 85% of participating hospitals increased healthcare worker vaccination rates over the prior year
· On average, participating hospitals saw a 14% increase in flu vaccination rates over the prior year
The results are encouraging, but we can do better. So where do we go from here?
This season, GSK and JCR will "raise the bar." The Challenge will introduce a tiered approach towards achieving this year's vaccination goals. Health care facilities will be challenged to reach a 65, 75 or 90 percent vaccination rate. The goals were determined by evaluating last year's results, and are designed to encourage health care facilities to strive for a better vaccination rate, based on prior year achievement. The Challenge will also be open to healthcare workers in ambulatory and long-term care facilities, emphasizing the importance of flu vaccination and patient safety beyond the hospital setting.
The 2009 Flu Vaccination Challenge begins today and will continue through the flu season until May 2010. For additional information regarding how HCWs can help improve their flu vaccination rates, please visit www.FluVaccinationChallenge.com.
* Data are self-reported by each participating hospital and is not a standardized study of all
Joint Commission Resources received funding and other support from GlaxoSmithKline for the Flu Vaccination Challenge initiative.
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