Every year flu continues to be a recurring problem within a healthcare setting. It is a debilitating illness which, in severe cases, can result in death. Make no mistake; we need to take this virus seriously.
The ‘flu season’, as it has become known, is the busiest time of the year for the NHS putting its resources under additional pressures. However there is an answer; this is the influenza vaccine or ‘flu jab’ as it’s more commonly known.
It is imperative that healthcare professionals do not infect the most susceptible patients for whom contracting flu poses a significant risk. It is also important that healthcare professionals are themselves protected from flu. Frontline healthcare workers are more likely to be exposed to the influenza virus, particularly during winter months when some of their patients might have it so it is vital to reduce the impact of flu and safeguard patient care.
Prevent the spread
Anyone visiting a healthcare facility has a responsibility to protect those staying, or working in, what should be a safe environment. SEC3URE members can play a vital role in reducing the spread of infection and ensure the healthcare facility remains a safe environment.
Everyone from a medical device representative to the service technician running diagnostics on a piece of equipment presents the potential for widespread transmission of the influenza virus not only to patients but to staff as well.
IntelliCentrics believes that having a flu jab is about taking a responsible approach to protecting oneself and those you come into contact with. Reps have a duty to protect patients or healthcare personnel in hospitals as well as themselves.
It’s a numbers game
During the 2014-2015 flu season
- 74% of all those who checked into an IntelliCentrics enabled facility had already received their flu jab
- 98,000 flu vaccination documents were processed by the IntelliCentrics credentialing team – the highest number to date
- This is an 8% increase over last year’s flu season and a 23.3% increase over the last two years.
The logic is simple. The more people entering healthcare environments who are vaccinated against flu the lower the risk of infection. SEC3URE is playing an important role in the fight against flu and the reduction of all sources of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs).
Be Reptrax SEC3URE, be compliant
IntelliCentrics is fighting the spread of infections in healthcare environments by creating SEC3URE; the first all-in-one credentialing and privileging service for the entire healthcare community
Healthcare providers no longer need to send email reminders or monitor training and vaccination records – SEC3URE will assume the task of sending automated reminders to those who have not yet had their flu jab or any other required credentials.
Since everyone in a healthcare facility plays an important role in keeping patients safe, these reminders can include anyone your facility contacts for credentialing including clinicians, nurses, sales representatives and volunteers.
We all have a part to play in reducing the spread of flu but with SEC3URE in place, the defence mechanism for healthcare facilities has just been boosted.