Hospital Employee Health – December 1, 2004
December 1, 2004
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Rationing, price gouging plague hospital influenza vaccine plans
Hospitals began rationing the flu vaccine as the sudden shortage threw their annual fall campaigns into chaos. The complete loss of half the nations flu vaccine supply highlighted the fragility of a core public health function: vaccinating the population against a potentially deadly disease. By luck, hospitals that ordered from the right manufacturer received their complete vaccine stock, while others had none. -
Redistributing Vaccine Policy
The Food and Drug Administration has authorized hospitals and other health care entities to redistribute flu vaccine due to the shortage. -
Forget the shot, and take a whiff of vaccine
Its not a shot in the arm, but the nasal flu vaccine will be a new form of relief to some hospitals seeking vaccine supply. -
Can you get more out of the flu vaccine?
Faced with a severe shortage of influenza vaccine, its tempting to get as much as you can out of your doses. But two techniques that could extend flu vaccine are not recommended for use, according to officials of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). -
Wisconsin: Direct care means hands-on functions
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended flu vaccine for health care workers with direct patient care responsibilities. But what is direct patient care? The state of Wisconsin came up with this guidance. -
Who should be vaccinated with the flu shot this season?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, priority groups for vaccination with inactivated influenza vaccine this season. -
Ergo tools help you get a fix on injuries
Youve heard the ergonomics horror story: Thousands of dollars of lift equipment gathering dust in a storage closet while nurses become disabled and rack up thousands of dollars more in workers compensation claims. -
Follow the rules: The path to better compliance
Safety devices that are never activated. Lift equipment gathering dust. Spills that arent cleaned promptly and lead to slips and falls. How many of your injuries are caused by the failure to follow basic safety rules and procedures? -
Are HCWs spreading HCV in ambulatory care?
Health care workers may be contributing to an undetected spread of hepatitis B and C in ambulatory care centers, a concern that has prompted an investigation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). -
Prepare your hospital for a very unusual flu season
With the unprecedented shortage of influenza vaccine this flu season, hospitals are scrambling to prepare for what may be a record number of flu patients presenting to their already overcrowded emergency departments (EDs) and for staff shortages due to record absenteeism.