JCAHO Approves Infection Control Standard
The Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) has approved an infection control standard that requires accredited facilities to offer flu vaccinations to staff, including volunteers and licensed independent practitioners with close patient contact.
The action is in response to recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which has urged stronger steps to increase vaccinations rates among health care workers. The reduction of influenza transmission from health care worker to patients is a top priority for CDC.
Typically fewer than 40 percent of health care workers are immunized each year. The new JCAHO standard requires health care organizations to:
- establish an annual influenza vaccination program that includes staff and licensed independent practitioners;
- provide access to influenza vaccinations on-site;
- educate staff and licensed independent practitioners about flu vaccine, non-vaccine control measures (such as the use
of appropriate precautions), and diagnosis, transmission and potential impact of influenza; - annually evaluate vaccination rates and reasons for non-participation in the organization’s immunization program; and
- implement enhancements to the program to increase participation.