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. 1993 Jan;4(1):52-6.
doi: 10.1155/1993/498236.

Morbidity, cost and role of health care worker transmission in an influenza outbreak in a tertiary care hospital

A Yassi  1 , M McGill, D Holton, L Nicolle
Affiliations

Morbidity, cost and role of health care worker transmission in an influenza outbreak in a tertiary care hospital

A Yassi et al. Can J Infect Dis. 1993 Jan.

Abstract
in English, French

An influenza A outbreak involving 17 health care workers (HCWs) and 16 chronic geriatric patients on a ward in a tertiary care hospital was reviewed. Thirty-seven per cent of all HCWs and 47% of patients on the affected wards became ill with influenza. Three patients died during the outbreak. The majority of health care workers became ill prior to detecting the first patient case of influenza, suggesting that nosocomial spread from HCWs to patients may have occurred. Only 13.7% of the staff and 5.9% of the patients had been vaccinated prior to the outbreak. Lost time due to HCW absenteeism, outbreak-related medication costs and additional staff time involved in outbreak control resulted in considerable cost to the hospital. It is suggested that much of this cost, as well as morbidity and possibly mortality, could have been avoided by increased immunization of HCWs and patients.

Une épidémie d’influenza A, touchant 17 travailleurs de la santé et 16 patients gériatriques chroniques dans un service d’un centre hospitalier de soins tertiaires a été analysée. Trente-sept pour cent de ces travailleurs de la santé. et 47 % des patients des unités affectées ont présenté un influenza. Trois patients sont décédés durant l’épidémie. La majorité des travailleurs de la santé sont devenus malades avant que le premier cas d’influenza ne soit déclaré chez les patients, ce qui donne à penser qu’il y a eu propagation nosocomiale des travailleurs de la santé vers leurs bénéficiaires. Seulement 13,7 % du personnel et 5,9 % des patients avaient été vaccinés avant l’épidémie. La perte de productivité due à l’absentéisme, le coût des médicaments associés à l’épidémie et le recours aux heures supplémentaires qu’a occasionnés la situation a imposé des dépenses considérables à l’établissement. Il est fort probable qu’une bonne part de ces coûts, de même que la morbidité et possiblement la mortalité auraient pu être évitées par une immunisation plus généralisée des travailleurs de la santé et des patients.

Keywords: Cost; Health care worker; Influenza outbreak; Nosocomial transmission.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Staff and patient morbidity by date of influenza A onset
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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