(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 was developed by the UDOH in partnership with the Utah Healthcare
Infection Prevention Governance Committee (UHIP GC). Using this report, Utahns
will be able to compare influenza vaccination rates for healthcare workers
among licensed hospitals in Utah.
The report lists all reporting licensed
Utah hospitals, along with their influenza vaccination rates for hospital HCWs,
for the 2013-2014 influenza season. The data show that
healthcare worker influenza vaccination rates in Utah hospitals have
consistently increased, from 75.5 percent in 2008 to 96.2 percent in 2014. The
report is available on the UDOH Healthcare Associated Infections (HAI)
website at
http://health.utah.gov/epi/HAI/data.html.
“Low HCW
influenza immunization rates can lead to increased influenza infections, putting
patients at risk for serious complications, said Allyn Nakashima, M.D., State
Epidemiologist, UDOH. “The good news is that Utah hospitals continue to see
improvements in influenza vaccination rates among HCWs, reducing the potential
for these deadly infections.”
The UDOH and the UHIP GC agree that influenza vaccination
of healthcare personnel is a critical patient safety practice that should be
required in all healthcare facilities, unless an organization has achieved a
vaccination rate greater than 95 percent by other means.
In November 2007, the UDOH adopted a Healthcare Associated Infections reporting rule (Rule 38670 Epidemiology, Healthcare Associated Infection.) This rule requires that hospitals report healthcare worker influenza vaccination rates.
In November
2007, the UDOH adopted a Healthcare Associated Infections reporting rule
(Rule386‐70Epidemiology,
Healthcare Associated Infection). This rule requires that hospitals report
healthcare worker influenza vaccination rates.
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 the Utah hospitals are not required to have
mandatory influenza vaccination programs for healthcare workers, some Utah
healthcare facilities have compulsory programs in place. Healthcare
organizations that do not have an effective healthcare worker influenza
vaccination policy are strongly encouraged to develop one.
*Licensed hospitals include acute care, long-term acute care, critical access,
rehabilitation, psychiatric, government and children’s hospitals.
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The mission of the Utah Department of Health is to
protect the public's health through
preventing avoidable illness, injury, disability
and premature death, assuring access to
affordable, quality healthcare, and promoting
healthy lifestyles.
