Abstract
Our hospital primarily treats patients with rheumatoid arthritis who are highly susceptible to influenza infection. Comprehensive approaches against the virus, such as wearing a surgical mask and applying very rigid triage to febrile outpatients, have been taken and are very effective in controlling this infection. Hospital employees infected with influenza must stay at home to prevent becoming a source of secondary infection in the hospital. However, the absence of employees may deteriorate the quality of the care for the patients. No definite rule has been proposed concerning the period of absence from the hospital once the employee is infected with influenza. The present study investigated the possibility of shortening the sick leave while preserving the rigid measures against influenza infection.
The new rule states that if the employee has experienced the complete defervescense (body temperature remained below 37°C throughout the day) and testing for influenza virus is negative on the next day, the employee may return to work, although wearing a surgical mask. This strict rule was applied to 13 employees who had influenza in 2004 and 2005. The duration of sick leave was 3.38± 1.04 days, significantly shorter than the original hospital requirement of five days absence. In this period, no new cases of secondary infection among the patients or the hospital employees was reported. Only 3 cases of influenza among inpatients were reported in 2004. No new case has been reported since March 2005, except for one patient already infected on admission to the hospital.
This new policy seems quite effective and is applicable to the hospital setting for treating patients who are highly susceptible to air-borne infections such as influenza.
