Archive for: Pandemic Influenza
Tracking flu absenteeism
NIOSH is seeking to understand how hospitals capture healthcare worker absenteeism from influenza and is interested in hearing about the details of any hospital-based systems in which absences can be tracked, including:
Weekly poll: H1N1 hype
When H1N1 outbreaks first emerged in April, OSHA Healthcare Advisor posted a reader poll asking whether H1N1 was a lot of hype or a legitimate concern. At that time “too much hype” won out 59% to 41%.
Now the CDC estimates between 14 and 34 million cases of H1N1 have occurred in the US since April, along with 63,000 – 153,000 H1N1-related hospitalizations.
Now that flu season is in full swing and H1N1 cases have escalated, have you changed your mind? Do you still think H1N1 is over-hyped?
Appealing the N95 decision all the way to the top
It seems that the protest for using N95 respirators for H1N1 protection by three infection-control groups smacks of desperation. The kind of desperation that says: Yeah, we know we’re beaten on this, but we’re appealing to a higher authority, anyway.
In this case, the higher authority is President Obama.
Whoa there a minute; IOM stands by its N95 recommendation
There has been a lot of attention given to the retraction of an Australian study recommending fit-tested N95 respirator use over surgical and procedure masks for healthcare worker protection from H1N1. (See Authors of N95 study retract findings, Ohio OKs surgical masks after N95 study retraction, and IC associations make a plea for modified H1N1 guidelines, moratorium on OSHA enforcement)
But before you “pull the mask off the ol’ Lone Ranger,” as the folk singer advised against, it appears that the now-retracted study was not the linchpin on which the recommendation got rolling.
IC associations make a plea for modified H1N1 guidlines, moratorium on OSHA enforcement
It’s no secret that a couple national infection control associations disagree with the CDC regarding H1N1 respiratory protection. Back in June, when H1N1 outbreaks became a concern, the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) was the first to recommend surgical masks over N95 respirators. The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) has also advocated for surgical masks.
But just because the CDC released their final recommendations, doesn’t mean these organizations are backing down just yet. SHEA, IDSA, and APIC have issued a letter to President Obama urging the federal government to modify the guidelines and put a moratorium on OSHA enforcement of the current H1N1 guidelines.
Even athletes aren’t exempt from H1N1 prevention
Recent World Series championship aside, anyone who is a New York Yankee fan has felt some degree of frustration toward third-baseman Alex Rodriguez. It used to be that baseball fans chastised the multi-millionaire for his lack of clutch hitting. Now the infection control crowd is piling on, critiquing his respiratory etiquette instead of his swing.
OSHA tips on dealing with N95 respirator shortages
While we wait for OSHA’s promised enforcement directive for inspections dealing with H1N1 protection compliance, the agency has posted as part of its Workplace safety and H1N1 web page advice on how healthcare employers should deal with N95 respirator shortages.
Here is what OSHA recommends:
OSHA web site offers practical advice for dealing with H1N1 influenza precautions
Following the lead of the recent CDC flu guidance on infection control and healthcare worker protection, OSHA is providing commonsense fact sheets that employers and workers can use to promote safety during the current H1N1 influenza outbreak through its newly-posted workplace safety and H1N1 Web page.
The Web page is organized under worker guidance and employer guidance categories. There is healthcare-specific content in each category.
Weekly poll: Who do you trust for N95 recommendations
Health officials, the CDC, OSHA, and just about every healthcare worker in contact with H1N1 patients have been debating the effectiveness of N95 respirators over surgical masks for protection against the flu.
It seemed everyone had a final answer when the CDC updated its interim recommendations in support of N95, and OSHA said enforcement would reflect CDC guidance. But retractions of N95 research have left some a little confused.
Now some state health departments, such as Ohio, have begun operating under their own guidelines, allowing healthcare workers to wear surgical masks instead of N95s.
What guidelines to you trust more, the CDC or your state health department? Which one is your facility following? Take the poll and let us know in the space below.
Ohio OKs surgical masks after N95 study retraction
At least one state isn’t hesitating to change respiratory protection requirements after authors of an influential Australian study retracted findings that N95 respirators provide more protection than surgical masks against the flu.
Ohio state officials have backed out on previous support of CDC requirements that recommend N95 respirators for healthcare workers treating patients with suspected H1N1, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. State requirements will now permit the use of surgical masks.
