The study analyzes an article titled ‘New Approaches for Influenza Vaccination of Healthcare Workers’. Imperatively, the article focuses on the effectiveness of compulsory vaccination on healthcare workers (HWCs) as a strategy to minimize influenza infections and improve the level of vaccinations among HWCs in the United States. The article elaborates that influenza is among serious infectious diseases that have high levels of mortality. In the article, higher levels of mortality and infection transpire from the contact that HWCs have with patients. The main subject of the critique that the study highlights, is the relevance of the article in supporting the significance of mandatory influenza vaccination as a fundamental requirement among the HWCs in the United States. Furthermore, the point of view of the study is to review the effectiveness of the article in supporting seasonal influenza vaccination and its ability to minimize infections and improve service quality.
The strengths evident in the article include its comprehensive argument on the strategies that various healthcare centers employ to encourage high rates of influenza vaccination from HWCs. The article highlights that the level of responsiveness from several HWCs is not encouraging, and thus, a number of healthcare centers introduce mandatory vaccinations to increase vaccination rates and minimize infections. According to Johnson and Talbot (2011), the level of responsiveness before mandatory vaccination was discouraging, but after its introduction, the rate increased significantly. In its discussion of the current strategies used on influenza vaccination, the article highlights the crucial nature of employing the strategies and combining them with mandatory vaccination. Some of the strategies that the article lists include early detection, adherence to ethical requirements provided by the healthcare centers, and extensive campaigns, which encourage voluntary influenza vaccination.
In asserting the essence of mandatory vaccination over other strategies, the article elucidates its pronounced changes and the related success. The article uses credible and realistic sources and data to explain the success attained by the approach in encouraging responsiveness to vaccination from HWCs in the country. Additionally, the article substantiates its argument by presenting a variety of criticism and explaining the reasons pertaining to why the strategy overrides them. Mandatory vaccination is a useful strategy in minimizing the level of infections that usually occur among HWCs and patients (Orient, 2012; Palache, Tainijoki-Seyer, and Collins, 2014). Therefore, the article is practical in the study of mandatory vaccination and its importance in the support of seasonal vaccination of influenza in the HWCs working in the United States.
Conversely, the article portrays a number of weaknesses that include its overemphasis on mandatory vaccination and low coverage on the effectiveness of other strategies. From the article, it is evident that the strategy of mandatory approach is dominant. The overemphasis accorded to the concept is a weakness as it limits the significance of the article, especially on the issues relating to the challenges occasioned by the strategy. Since mandatory approach is coercive and downplays the rights of HWCs, its overemphasis in the article is a weakness that makes it less relevant to several scholars in the medical field. Moreover, the article does not provide a good coverage on other important strategies, which may be practical in encouraging vaccination, while sustaining the rights and personal orientations of HWCs. Schmidt and Brown (2012) state that a good qualitative article needs to be credible, confirmable, dependable, and transferable. However, a review of the article reveals an absence of the four elements that are critical in every sound and well-balanced discussion.
In essence, other strategies such as campaigns, educational forums, and public reporting are very instrumental in encouragement of influenza vaccination among HWCs in the country. However, the article highlights the strategies and uses a small portion to discuss their application. The use of a small portion is relative to the size used by the article in its elaboration of mandatory vaccination. According to Rebmann, Wright, Anthony, Knaup, and Peters (2012), mandatory vaccination is coercive and overrides the autonomy of HWCs in decision-making. As a result, by focusing on mandatory vaccination, the article presents itself as unbalanced and irrelevant to many scholars, who advocate for employment and use of other strategies apart from mandatory vaccination.
The article is very important in the study of seasonal influenza vaccination among HWCs in the United States. Some of the merits associated with the article include its ability to advance concise and elaborate arguments on the significance of mandatory vaccination as opposed to other strategies that healthcare centers employ in the country. Conversely, the article presents some demerits that concern its overemphasis on mandatory vaccination and failure to comply with the four elements required in a balanced and well-designed analysis. The study highlights, that the article is relevant in application of mandatory vaccination strategy to increase the rate of vaccination, reduce the level of infections, and improve service delivery in healthcare centers in the United States.
References
Johnson, J., &Talbot, T. (2011). New Approaches for Influenza Vaccination of Healthcare Workers. Nosocomial and Healthcare-Related Infections, 24, 363–369.
Orient, J. (2012). Mandatory Influenza Vaccination for Medical Workers: a Critique. Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons, 17(4), 111-117.
Palache, A., Tainijoki-Seyer, J., & Collins, T. (2014). The Link between Seasonal Influenza and NCDs: Strategies for Improving Vaccination Coverage. Health, 6 (1), 2724-2735.
Rebmann, T., Wright, K., Anthony, J., Knaup, R., & Peters, E. (2012). Seasonal Influenza Vaccine Compliance among Hospital-Based and Nonhospital-Based Healthcare Workers. Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, 33 (3), 243-249.
Schmidt, N., & Brown, J. (2012). Evidence-Based Practice for Nurses: Appraisal and Application of Research. Massachusetts: Bartlett Learning.