Hepatitis B Vaccination Declination Form

Q. If an employee who handles blood as part of their job is offered the hepatitis B vaccine, but refuses it... what paper work is required?

A. Below is an example of a declination statement which should be signed/dated by the employee and kept on file in the office.

“ I understand that due to my occupational exposure to blood and/or other potentially infectious body fluids, I may be at risk of acquiring hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. I have been given the opportunity to be vaccinated with hepatitis B vaccine at no cost to myself. However, I decline the hepatitis B vaccine at this time. I understand that by declining this vaccine, I continue to be at risk of acquiring hepatitis B which is a serious disease. If in the future I continue to have occupational exposure to blood and/or other potentially infectious body fluids and I want to be vaccinated with the hepatitis B vaccine, I can receive the vaccination at no cost to me.”

safetyDRs is pleased to announce new online continuing education courses for dental professionals administered by the Academy of Dental Learning, an ADA CERP Recognized Provider. A certificate of completion (including CE Credits earned) may be downloaded online.

These online courses offer busy dentists and other dental professionals the opportunity to stay current in their practice and obtain required CE Credits. Featured courses include:

- OSHA/Bloodborne Pathogens Standard Required Annual Review for Dental Office

- OSHA: Hazard Communication Standard

- Medical Emergencies in the Dental Office

The complete catalog of continuing education courses may be viewed at: http://www.safetydrs.com/catalog.php

HHS Issues Action Plan To Prevent Health Care-Associated Infections

"The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) unveiled a plan that establishes a set of five-year national prevention targets to reduce and possibly eliminate health care-associated infections (HAIs). Health care-associated infections are infections that patients acquire while undergoing medical treatment or surgical procedures. These infections are largely preventable.

In addition to the tremendous toll on human life, the financial burden attributed to these infections is staggering. HHS' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that approximately 1.7 million HAIs occurred in U.S. hospitals in 2002 and were associated with 99,000 deaths. CDC also estimates that HAIs add as much as $20 billion to health care costs each year.

HHS intends to update the plan in response to public input and new recommendations for infection prevention. The plan, and instructions for submitting comments on the plan, can be found online at http://www.hhs.gov/ophs"

Ref. Medical News Today (http://www.medicalnewstoday.com)

2009 Adult Immunization Schedule

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) annually reviews the recommended Adult Immunization Schedule to ensure that the schedule reflects current recommendations for the licensed vaccines. In October 2008, ACIP approved the Adult Immunization Schedule for 2009. No new vaccines were added to the schedule; however, several indications were added to the pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine footnote, clarifications were made to the footnotes for human papillomavirus, varicella, and meningococcal vaccines, and schedule information was added to the hepatitis A and hepatitis B vaccine footnotes.

Additional information is available as follows: schedule (in English and Spanish) at http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/schedules/adult-schedule.htm; adult vaccination at http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/default.htm; ACIP statements for specific vaccines at http://www.cdc.gov/vaccine/pubs/acip-list.htm; and reporting adverse events at http://www.vaers.hhs.gov or by telephone, 800-822-7967.

Ref. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Recommended adult immunization schedule---United States, 2009. MMWR 2008;57(53).

Evidence-Based Strategies to Fight Infection

The AHA and four other health care organizations today released on Oct. 8 a compedium of strategies to help prevent the most dangerous infections that hospitals face. Distilled from the latest guidelines and scientific evidence, the compendium identifies what hospitals should be doing, and how, to prevent staph and C. difficile infections, ventilator-associated pneumonia, bloodstream infections caused by central-line catheters, and urinary tract and surgical site infections.

“As of today, the nation’s infection control team has a common ‘play book’ − one that harnesses the latest authoritative information in a clear and concise manner for everyone’s benefit …especially the patient,” said AHA President and CEO Rich Umbdenstock at a Washington, DC, press event. In addition to the AHA, the partnership includes the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America, Infectious Diseases Society of America, Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, and The Joint Commission.

The full text of The Compendium of Strategies to Prevent Healthcare-Associated Infections in Acute Care Hospitals is available here.

ref. AHANews.com