PROFESSIONNews in brief - Oct. 27, 2008Infection control group: Flu shot should be required for doctors - High court declines abortion case over "wanted" posters - AHRQ accepting applications for patient safety organization status Infection control group: Flu shot should be required for doctorsAll physicians and other health care professionals with direct patient contact should be required to receive the influenza immunization annually, the Assn. for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology said in an October position paper. The group said hospitals, nursing homes, outpatient clinics, urgent care centers and home health agencies should implement a system of "informed declination." Under this system, health professionals who refuse to be vaccinated for nonmedical reasons acknowledge in writing that they are exposing their patients to additional risk. The Washington, D.C.-based APIC represents 12,000 members who direct infection-control programs in health care facilities. The national health worker immunization rate has stalled at about 40% during the last decade, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. High court declines abortion case over "wanted" postersFor the third time, the U.S. Supreme Court turned down a request by anti-abortion advocates to overturn a $16 million verdict against their use of a Web site and so-called "wanted" posters identifying physicians and clinics that perform abortions. The publications by the American Coalition of Life Activists accused the doctors and clinics of "crimes against humanity." The full 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in 2002 ruled that such speech constituted violent threats and was not protected by the First Amendment. The high court on Oct. 6 rejected an appeal by anti-abortion groups after declining similar requests in 2003 and 2006. The American Medical Association filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the case supporting the full 9th Circuit's view. AHRQ accepting applications for patient safety organization statusGroups seeking to become designated as patient safety organizations under the 2005 Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act can apply to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality under interim guidance issued by the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services. PSOs can confidentially aggregate and analyze patient safety data, and give hospitals and physicians feedback on ways to improve health care quality. More information is available online (www.pso.ahrq.gov). Copyright 2008 American Medical Association. All rights reserved. |
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From the vaultQuotable"Our goal really is to provide the right care for patients at the right time. Not too much and not too little." Steven Weinberger, MD, co-author of a list developed by the American College of Physicians of 37 clinical situations in which screenings and medical tests provide little or no benefit |
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