Mandatory Flu Vaccine for Healthcare Workers: Not Worthwhile. (17th April 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Edmond, Michael B
• Is Part Of: Open forum infectious diseases. Volume 6:Number 4(2019)
• Publication Date: 2019-04-17
• Subjects: healthcare workers -- influenza vaccine -- infection prevention; Communicable diseases -- Periodicals; Medical microbiology -- Periodicals; Infection -- Periodicals; 616.9
• DOI: 10.1093/ofid/ofy214
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2328-8957

Abstract

Abstract: In 2010, the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology published a recommendation that annual influenza vaccination of healthcare workers be made a condition of employment despite no high-level evidence to support this recommendation. A better strategy for reducing the transmission of respiratory viruses in the healthcare setting would be to encourage vaccination and reduce presenteeism, which is very common among healthcare workers with influenza-like illness. In a hospital with a baseline vaccination compliance of 70%, reducing presenteeism by 2% has the equivalent impact of mandating vaccination in terms of the number of healthcare workers with influenza-like illness at work. Expectations for compliance with interventions to improve the quality of care should be correlated tightly to the underlying evidence to support the intervention, reserving mandates for interventions with very high quality supporting evidence. Abstract : Mandatory influenza vaccination of healthcare workers is not supported by evidence. Efforts at reducing presenteeism are likely to be more effective than mandatory vaccination.