By Haley Heisley

“Hi, My name is Haley and I will be your Nurse Today.”

I started this column last year as a new-grad nurse on a medical-surgical floor because a huge part of my job is patient education. I provide education on symptom management, treatments, prescribed medications and on potential complications. I provide so much teaching on the management of diagnosed acute or chronic illnesses that already affect patients that it made me think of how much of a difference I could possibly make by providing education before disease even strikes. If I can reach people with this type of information and hopefully help to prevent some illnesses or hospitalizations altogether, why wouldn’t I take every opportunity to do so? Why wait until you are in the hospital to know your body?

It’s that time of year again for the pumpkins, the trick-or-treating, the leaves changing colors, telling ghost stories and oh…for the flu vaccine. Every year in the United States around fall-winter, we start to see more patients coming in with the flu and are asked ourselves if we want to receive the flu vaccine. 

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the flu vaccine prevents millions of illnesses and flu-related doctor’s visits each year. For example, during 2019-2020, the last flu season prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, flu vaccination prevented an estimated 7 million influenza illnesses, 3 million influenza-associated medical visits, 100,000 influenza-associated hospitalizations and 7,000 influenza-associated deaths. The CDC also notes that the flu vaccine reduces the risk of having to go to the doctor with the flu by 40-60% during seasons when the vaccine closely matches the circulating flu viruses.

In my own career, I recently began a role in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), leading me to be shocked by another statistic. A 2018 study in New Zealand showed that among adults hospitalized with the flu, vaccinated patients were 59% less likely to be admitted to the ICU than those who had not been vaccinated. And, among adults in the ICU with the flu, vaccinated patients spent on average four fewer days in the hospital than those who were not vaccinated.

A common question I get asked as a nurse is if pregnant women should receive the flu vaccine. According to the CDC, the flu shot helps protect the mom against the flu during and after their pregnancy. It also helps protect the newborn babies from the flu in their first few months of life too! 

Another common question I get asked is if kids should get the flu vaccine. The answer is once again yes. A 2022 study showed that getting vaccinated for the flu reduced children’s risk of severe life-threatening influenza by 75%.

Most drug stores and primary care provider offices offer flu shots each season, so be sure to check in with the nearest places to you. 

The biggest thing I have learned as a Nurse is that every patient is different. Recommendations and education I have provided are based off of CDC recommendations, but before making any medical decisions, always consult your primary care provider who knows you and your body best.