Prepping for this year’s flu season could be tricky. There’s a new avian strain, H7N9, that is currently unpredictable regarding human-to-human transmission. If it changes and makes that leap, officials say we could have a pandemic on our hands, despite this year’s vaccine covering four strains.
But Before We Panic
Let’s Start With 3 Strategies for Prepping for Flu Season
Prep Staff
Encourage vaccination
The best defense is a good offense, and your best defense against the flu is having a healthy staff. By getting vaccinated, staff members are helping prevent the spread of the flu to patients, coworkers, and family members.
Send reminders about standard precautions
Flu season is the best time to increase compliance with standard protocols for infection prevention. Healthcare workers know and understand the rules and reasons for following isolation/infection-prevention precautions, but reminders that there’s no excuses for non-compliance can go a long way.
Prep Patients & Visitors
Get the message out
A friendly poster can be the messenger when staff isn’t around to remind or educate patients and visitors about proper hand hygiene and cough etiquette.
Make infection-prevention supplies available
If tissues, masks, and hand sanitizers aren’t available to patients and their visitors, how can they help stop the spread of infection? Hygiene centers solve that problem quickly and easily.
Prep Inventory
Don’t wait until it’s too late to stock up on hand sanitizers, gloves, masks, and gowns. Waiting to hear about the numbers reaching outbreak status is too late. These supplies will be used for standard infection control precautions, so it’s better to have more than enough than to run out. Don’t get caught in the out-of-stock trap like the one that happened in 2009 when hand sanitizer couldn’t be found anywhere.
Being prepared is the best way to help any flu strain from becoming an epidemic or pandemic. Start working on your flu plans today.