‘Just-in-time’ fit testing offers quick, easy solution
Medical Environment Update, July 1, 2009
This is an excerpt from a member only article. To read the article in its entirety, please login or subscribe to Medical Environment Update.
When influenza A H1N1, or swine flu, hit Mexico and subsequently the United States in April, there were two priorities for healthcare facilities:
• Mitigate the spread of disease
• Ensure protection of healthcare workers so they felt safe to come to work
For many facilities, that meant developing a way to quickly fit test employees for N95 respirators. Numerous surveys have already found that a portion of the healthcare work force would not come in during a pandemic due to fear for their own health or the health of their family, so having a plan in place that is part of your pandemic planning will help ensure protection and provide reassurance for workers. (See “A plan for protection will strengthen your work force” on p. 3.)
With the initial swine flu scare largely behind us, health officials are concerned about its resurgence in the fall and winter months, when flu season is in full force. An escalated flu season could affect physician offices and outpatient clinics as much as hospitals since patients will likely consult their primary care physician before an emergency room.
Although the outbreaks served as an opportunity to fit test employees who typically get a pass on annual testing, for others it was a wake-up call to implement a plan that provides employee protection during a pandemic. Doing so will help prevent the spread of the disease and protect your work force, says Bruce E. Cunha, RN, MS, COHN-S, manager of employee health and safety at the Marshfield (WI) Clinic.
“We want to make sure we are taking care of our patients and taking care of our employees,” Cunha says.
This is an excerpt from a member only article. To read the article in its entirety, please login or subscribe to Medical Environment Update.
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