Fall is almost here – time to go back to school, a change in the weather, and, unfortunately, influenza! As nurses gear up for influenza season, the American Nurses Association (ANA) has created a tool-kit of information on influenza prevention, especially vaccination, that nurses can use in their practice. Influenza vaccine is a safe, effective way to prevent this disease, and the thousands of unnecessary deaths that it can cause.
ANA’s theme this year, Unite to Fight the Flu, represents the part all nurses play in preventing the spread of influenza through vaccination. The tool-kit offers resources for all types of settings and roles in nursing, and emphasizes important themes for nursing:
- The importance of nurses being vaccinated to protect themselves and their patients.
- Joining with other nurses and co-workers in being a vaccinated health care team.
- Talking to patients, families, co-workers, and communities about being vaccinated.
- Using standing orders to empower nurses to vaccinate independently and enhance vaccine access.
- Always administering vaccine using a safety needle to prevent needlesticks.
Nurses have the power to protect by being champions of immunization. With ANA’s tool-kit, nurses can do more with their power!