CDC to HCWs: Stay home when sick
In its proposed new guidance on Prevention Strategies for Seasonal Influenza in Healthcare Settings, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stresses the need for health care workers to stay home when they're sick. Specifically, the guidance includes these recommendations:
HCP who develop fever and respiratory symptoms should be:
Instructed not to report to work, or if at work, to stop patient-care activities, don a facemask, and promptly notify their supervisor and infection control personnel/occupational health before leaving work.
Excluded from work until at least 24 hours after they no longer have a fever, without the use of fever-reducing medicines such as acetaminophen.
Considered for temporary reassignment or exclusion from work for 7 days from symptom onset or until the resolution of symptoms, whichever is longer, if returning to care for patients in a Protective Environment (PE) such as hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients (HSCT) http://www.cdc.gov/hicpac/pdf/isolation/isolation2007.pdf. HCP recovering from a respiratory illness may return to work with PE patients sooner if absence of influenza viral RNA in respiratory secretions is documented by real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR).
Patients in these environments are severely immunocompromised, and infection with influenza virus can lead to severe disease. Furthermore, once infected, these patients can have prolonged viral shedding despite anti-viral treatment and expose other patients to influenza virus infection. Prolonged shedding also increases the chance of developing and spreading antiviral-resistant influenza strains; clusters of influenza antiviral resistance cases have been found among severely immunocompromised persons exposed to a common source or healthcare setting.
Reminded that adherence to respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette after returning to work remains important because viral shedding may occur for several days after resolution of fever. If symptoms such as cough and sneezing are still present, HCP should wear a facemask during patient-care activities. The importance of performing frequent hand hygiene (especially before and after each patient contact and contact with respiratory secretions) should be reinforced.
HCP with influenza or many other infections may have fever alone as an initial symptom or sign. Thus, it can be very difficult to distinguish influenza from many other causes, especially early in a person's illness. HCP with fever alone should follow workplace policy for HCP with fever until a more specific cause of fever is identified or until fever resolves.
HCP who develop acute respiratory symptoms without fever may still have influenza infection but should be:
Allowed to continue or return to work unless assigned to care for patients requiring a PE such as HSCT http://www.cdc.gov/hicpac/pdf/isolation/isolation2007.pdf; these HCP should be considered for temporary reassignment or excluded from work for 7 days from symptom onset or until the resolution of all non-cough symptoms, whichever is longer. HCP recovering from a respiratory illness may return to work with patients in PE sooner if absence of influenza viral RNA in respiratory secretions is documented by rRT-PCR.
Reminded that adherence to respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette after returning to work remains important because viral shedding may occur for several days following an acute respiratory illness. If symptoms such as cough and sneezing are still present, HCP should wear a facemask during patient care activities. The importance of performing frequent hand hygiene (especially before and after each patient contact) should be reinforced.
Facilities and organizations providing healthcare services should:
Develop sick leave policies for HCP that are non-punitive, flexible and consistent with public health guidance to allow and encourage HCP with suspected or confirmed influenza to stay home.
Policies and procedures should enhance exclusion of HCPs who develop a fever and respiratory symptoms from work for at least 24 hours after they no longer have a fever, without the use of fever-reducing medicines.
Ensure that all HCP, including staff who are not directly employed by the healthcare facility but provide essential daily services, are aware of the sick leave policies.
Employee health services should establish procedures for:
Tracking absences
Reviewing job tasks and ensuring that personnel known to be at higher risk for exposure to those with suspected or confirmed influenza are given priority for vaccination
Ensuring that employees have access via telephone to medical consultation and, if necessary, early treatment;
Promptly identifying individuals with possible influenza. HCP should self-assess for symptoms of febrile respiratory illness. In most cases, decisions about work restrictions and assignments for personnel with respiratory illness should be guided by clinical signs and symptoms rather than by laboratory testing for influenza because laboratory testing may result in delays in diagnosis, false negative test results, or both.
In its proposed new guidance on Prevention Strategies for Seasonal Influenza in Healthcare Settings, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stresses the need for health care workers to stay home when they're sick. Specifically, the guidance includes these recommendations:You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
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