Practice Management Alert

Question: This time of year we have several people in the office getting sick, especially because we are primary care office with sick patients coming in all the time. With the flu making the rounds, what can we do to protect employees and our patients?

Massachusetts Subscriber

Answer: You have good reason to be concerned since every year at least 200,000 Americans are likely hospitalized from influenza, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and as many as 36,000 people die due to flu complications. But if you implement some strategies in your practice you can help prevent the spread in your practice. 

Tip 1: The flu is easily spread in closed quarters like offices, especially a medical practice where sick patients are in and out. Cut down risk to your employees by encouraging everyone to wash their hands often and keeping their hands away from their eyes, nose, or mouth. 

Tip 2: Elderly people and children are at the greatest risk for flu complications, but everyone will benefit from getting vaccinated. You and your employees should inoculate your children to provide stronger protection against the virus for adults. Once the children are vaccinated, work on the adults.

Why? “Children have more influenza in their body when they get sick,” explains Dr. Kathleen Neuzil, an immunization specialist at PATH, a public health advocacy group. This means they have more of the virus to spread around, especially when combined with children’s poor hygiene. “So if your practice sees children, this step is especially important.” 

Tip 3: Despite highly publicized vaccine shortages in years past, the CDC has confirmed that there is enough of the flu vaccine to go around. Keep in mind that chronic unnecessary stress can undermine the flu shot’s effectiveness. “Our studies showed that people who have lots of stress going on in their lives have poorer responses to the influenza vaccination,” says Dr. Vikki Burns of the University of Birmingham in England.

Tip 4: Your employees know when they’re getting sick, but if they’re like most people, you go to work anyway. However, public health experts urge everyone to just stay home. You are more likely to spread the virus during those first days. “By staying home, you can protect against inadvertently infecting others,” says Neuzil.