title: Strengthened standards on flu vaccinations to pressure hospitals for progress.
abstract: Although, it is well-known that high flu vaccination rates among health care workers reduce the risk of hospital-related influenza cases, health care workers continue to resist getting vaccinated each year. Consequently, the Joint Commission has strengthened its standards on this issue for accredited hospitals, putting provisions in place that are designed to get health care worker vaccination rates up to 90% by 2020. Some hospitals are already achieving this standard by making the vaccinations free and highly accessible to employees, and by establishing firm flu vaccination policies. The Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta estimates that only 63.5% of health care workers received the flu vaccination last year, only a slight increase over the 2009-2010 flu season. In provisions set to go into effect in July, the Joint Commission expects accredited hospitals to monitor vaccination rates and regularly implement enhancements designed to reach the 90% threshold by 2020. The Emergency Nurses Association believes the focus should be on encouraging vaccinations, providing vaccinations, and education, but it opposes flu vaccination mandates.
mesh_terms: D000068:Accreditation; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D017589:Immunization Programs / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017758:Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional / Q000517:prevention & control*; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000635:transmission*; D007591:Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations; D010564:Personnel, Hospital; D014481:United States