(Salt Lake City, UT) – The Utah Department of Health (UDOH) released
the annual Healthcare Worker (HCW) Influenza Vaccination Coverage Report for
HCWs in licensed* Utah hospitals. The report shows healthcare worker coverage
rates have increased, from 75.5 percent in 2008 to 95.7 percent in 2016.
The report lists all reporting licensed Utah hospitals, along with
their influenza vaccination rates for hospital HCWs, for the 2015-2016
influenza season. It is available on the UDOH Healthcare Associated Infections
(HAI) website at
http://health.utah.gov/epi/diseases/HAI/HCW_flu/2015-2016_HCW_Influenza_Rpt.pdf.
“Influenza is a serious infection, and unvaccinated healthcare workers
who become infected can put patients at risk for serious complications,” said
Karen Singson, HAI Program Manager, UDOH.
The UDOH and the Utah Healthcare Infection Prevention Governance
Committee (UHIP GC) recognize that influenza vaccination of healthcare
personnel is a critical patient safety practice. Both agree that mandatory
influenza vaccination for HCWs should be implemented in all healthcare
facilities unless a healthcare facility has achieved a vaccination rate of 95
percent or greater by some other means.
In November 2007, the UDOH adopted a Healthcare Associated Infections
reporting rule (Rule‐386‐705, Epidemiology, Healthcare Associated Infection).
This rule requires that hospitals report healthcare worker influenza
vaccination rates.
This report was developed by the UDOH in partnership with the UHIP GC.
It will allow Utahns to compare influenza vaccination rates for healthcare
workers among licensed hospitals in Utah.
In April 2011, the UHIP GC recommended that all healthcare delivery
facilities in Utah implement a policy of compulsory annual influenza
vaccination for all healthcare personnel. While Utah hospitals are not required
to have mandatory influenza vaccination programs for healthcare workers, 85
percent of Utah healthcare facilities that reported have compulsory programs in
place; and of those, 91 percent have HCW influenza vaccination rates of 90
percent or greater. “It is clear that facilities that implement compulsory
influenza vaccination policies for employees have higher HCW influenza
vaccination rates than those who do not,” said Singson. Healthcare
organizations that do not have an effective HCW influenza vaccination policy
are strongly encouraged to develop one.
Visit http://health.utah.gov/epi/diseases/HAI/UHIP/ for more
information about UHIP GC members.
*Licensed hospitals include acute care, long-term acute care, critical
access, rehabilitation, psychiatric, government and children’s hospitals.
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Media Contact:
Charla Haley
(o) 801-273-4178
(c) 801-230-5927
chaley@utah.gov
