Healthcare Executive - November/December 2013 - 44

Healthcare Management Ethics

How should healthcare executives
balance these concerns? Are healthcare workers expected to undertake
special risks to protect their patients
from influenza? Is healthcare worker
autonomy abbreviated by the desire
to protect patients?
We believe the risks of influenza
immunization are so small and
manageable that mandatory influenza immunization cannot be
faulted on patient safety grounds.
An October 2010 Society for
Healthcare Epidemiology of America
position paper on this topic argues:
“Because the likelihood of a serious
adverse reaction to influenza vaccine is
extremely low, the duty to protect vulnerable patients and to put their interest
above the personal interest of the

healthcare worker does not demand
undue sacrifice.” Furthermore, the very
small risks flu shots present can be
ameliorated by allowing healthcare
workers with bona fide medical contraindications to immunization to opt out
given adequate documentation of a
valid risk.

This line of reasoning accords
with the professional tenets of both
clinicians and executives. Healthcare
worker professionalism focuses on a
commitment to their patients as the
first priority. Patients expect this as a
condition of public trust in the
healthcare system and its providers.

There is a clear historical precedent for
balancing the rights of healthcare workers (including the right to refuse immunization) with the interests of patients:
Healthcare workers are routinely
expected to provide standard-of-care
treatments for contagious diseases and
dangerous, unpleasant or indigent
patients despite the potential for personal
injury or the potential lack of monetary
gain. For healthcare workers the primary
duty is to patient care and safety.

Developing and Implementing a
Mandatory Vaccination Policy
Mandatory influenza immunization is
controversial. As a result, many institutions attempted to prevent nosocomial influenza transmission via
voluntary programs, which unfortunately resulted in a limited immunization uptick similar to the one seen in
society in general. Given the greater
vulnerability of hospitalized
patients—and the ethical obligations

Understanding
Financial Statements
How Pricing Decisions
and Budgeting Can Make
A Difference

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7/15/13 10:32 AM

Healthcare Executive - November/December 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Healthcare Executive - November/December 2013