Mandatory influenza vaccination for health care workers as the new standard of care: A matter of patient safety and nonmaleficent practice

N. Cortes-Penfield

American Journal of Public Health, 2014, vol. 104, issue 11, 2060-2065

Abstract: A growing body of literature defends the efficacy of seasonal influenza vaccination for health care workers in reducing the mortality of hospitalized patients. I review the evidence concerning influenza vaccination, concluding that universal vaccination of health care workers against influenza should be considered standard patient care and that nonvaccination represents maleficent care. I further argue that the ethical responsibility to ensure universal vaccination of staff against seasonal influenza lies not only with individual health care providers but with each individual health care institution.

Keywords: influenza vaccine, disease transmission; ethics; health care personnel; human; Influenza, Human; mandatory program; patient safety; prevention and control; standards, Health Personnel; Humans; Infectious Disease Transmission, Professional-to-Patient; Influenza Vaccines; Influenza, Human; Mandatory Programs; Patient Safety (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:10.2105/ajph.2013.301514_0

DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2013.301514

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