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Protect your patients, staff during flu season

Staff Development Weekly: Insight on Evidence-Based Practice in Education, October 11, 2007

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Each year, between 250,000 and 500,000 people die worldwide from seasonal influenza. According to experts, the most efficient method of preventing outbreaks is through vaccinations, yet less than 40% of healthcare workers reportedly get influenza vaccines each year. It's a trend that puts patients at risk. With this in mind, the primary focus of your influenza preparedness efforts this year should be promoting employee vaccinations, say experts.

The following are some steps that your facility can take to stay on top of virus trends:

• Perform active surveillance and use rapid influenza testing to target your efforts. Rapid influenza testing can yield results in 30 minutes and should be used when the results will affect clinical decision-making.
• Educate staff members about the signs and symptoms of influenza so that they can identify the flu when they see it.
• Test for influenza when clusters of respiratory illnesses occur in patients or healthcare workers. This is where rapid influenza testing can be useful to prevent the spread of influenza in the facility.
• Consider using antiviral medications, although some influenza viruses have already become resistant to certain antivirals.
• If influenza is widespread in the community, post notices that the hospital will not permit adults with respiratory illness and children with symptoms to visit the facility.
• If you suspect a patient has influenza, you should separate him or her from asymptomatic patients until he or she tests negative for the influenza virus.

To get more information, go to Briefings on Infection Control (BOIC). For the cost of just three stories, you can get the entire October issue of BOIC. Click here to choose between the PDF and HTML versions for just $30. Subscribers to the online version of BOIC have free access to this article. Subscribers to the print newsletter can find this article in their October issue.

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