Backed by a number of studies, healthcare policy experts at the CDC and elsewhere have advocated for some time that all healthcare workers be immunized against influenza. There are two reasons for this. First, during an epidemic, an infected healthcare workforce can dangerously strain our national infrastructure at a time we need it most. Secondly - and this is the major argument - infected professionals can unknowingly transmit this virus to susceptible patients with potentially serious consequences. This is especially true when the patient is an infant or an individual of any age who is debilitated by chronic disease or an impaired immune system.
Is there any plausible counter-argument to mandatory, universal immunization for hospital staff? One might doubt this, when experts recommend a flu shot (with rare exceptions) for every healthy child and adult, every year, and when hospitals will immunize their staff members on site and for free.
And yet, predictably, there are naysayers. This is not a scientific controversy, but a disagreement over the rights of nurses, respiratory therapists, and even doctors as regards a health intervention with a non-zero risk. (The benefits of the vaccine, which in its most common form contains no infective material, are believed to far outweigh the remote possibility of severe allergic reaction or neurological side effects.)
Whose rights prevail - those of the many (the patients) or of the one (the professional)? This is no more or less than the familiar red/blue debate of our day. In the current instance, however, it is colored by other considerations. How far does our professional obligation go in compelling us to sacrifice for the good of our patients? "Professionalism" clearly mandates physicians to place the patient's interest before all others. Does this extend to flu shots? And does it extend to the rest of the team? The boundaries of professional obligation (and perquisites) are determined jointly by society and the profession itself. What do YOU think? Write a reply and share your thoughts. And, by the way, don't forget to get your flu shot this Fall.
Flu shots for hospital staff--should it be mandatory? NO...
ReplyDeleteEveryone of us regardless of our professional lives, will at some time, be a patient. Whether we are a patint in the hospital, clinic, or just our friendly neighborhood doctors office, we will be a patient, (so right there we are all of the " many" not the few or "one"). Why should the fact that I work in a hospital setting mean I give up my right to self deterination of my health care choices? Do you really believe that flu vaccines are without risk? Hardly, the risks are not public knowledge because you can't go after the pharmaceutical companies for vaccine damages. You wrote; "the benefits of the vaccine....are believed to far outweigh the remote possibility of severe allergic reaction or neurological side effects" who determined that the "benefits" far "outweigh" those possible side effects? Which means that those "side effects happened to someone and which also means that they are REAL possibilities, however slim. I'm going to guess that the patients that suffered those side effects are not the ones stating that the benefits out weigh those risks. I'm going to guess that the pharmaceutical companies are the ones making those very statements. They can state that because they are very well protected,but the public isn't.
The majority of the studies that are out there are all backed in some way by the pharmaceutical companies that manufacture the very vaccine the study is looking at. Hardly an unbiased study. I won't even get into the fact that the CDC, FDA, DOH and many other organizations all sleep nice and cozily in the pocket of big pharma and stand to make a lot of money from their vaccines/medications. The pharmaceutical companies are very influential in government so it's no surprise that the government agencies all back and push vaccines for everyone of all ages. I'm not anti-vaccine by any means, but I am anti mandatory flu vaccine just because I'm a health care worker in a hospital. It should be a personal choice not a government mandate.
As far as the "flu epidemic" is concerned, the only flu epidemic there is, is the one that is created by the media which is really started by the government organizations to throw the public into hysteria so they will rush out and get the vaccine. There is no true way to even test anyone for the flu and it's only diagnosis is by symptoms which can represent hundreds of different types of illnesses. Diagnosing someone with the flu may or may not be correct there is no way to know for absolute certainty. People shouldn't go to work when they are ill, regardless of their profession, but that's easier said then done. We all should make our own informed health care choices as to what's best for ourselves, no one should be allowed to take that choice away from us based solely on the work we do....I hope you aren't sorry you asked for my thoughts