Skin Care for Women.

Women are inundated with advertisements for products promising younger-looking, healthier skin. The truth is that many of these products can be expensive and produce results that do not live up to the claims. Health care providers can educate women about proven best practices and how to evaluate products' claims of benefits. The best advice is that a well-balanced diet, adequate hydration, use of a topical moisturizer, protection from the sun, and avoiding smoking and tobacco are the most effective measures to not only healthy skin but a healthful life.

Influenza Vaccination Coverage Among Health Care Personnel - United States, 2015-16 Influenza Season.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends annual influenza vaccination for all health care personnel to reduce influenza-related morbidity and mortality among both health care personnel and their patients (1-4). To estimate influenza vaccination coverage among U.S. health care personnel for the 2015-16 influenza season, CDC conducted an opt-in Internet panel survey of 2,258 health care personnel during March 28-April 14, 2016. Overall, 79.0% of survey participants reported receiving an influenza vaccination during the 2015-16 season, similar to the 77.3% coverage reported for the 2014-15 season (5). Coverage in long-term care settings increased by 5.3 percentage points compared with the previous season. Vaccination coverage continued to be higher among health care personnel working in hospitals (91.2%) and lower among health care personnel working in ambulatory (79.8%) and long-term care settings (69.2%). Coverage continued to be highest among physicians (95.6%) and lowest among assistants and aides (64.1%), and highest overall among health care personnel who were required by their employer to be vaccinated (96.5%). Among health care personnel working in settings where vaccination was neither required, promoted, nor offered onsite, vaccination coverage continued to be low (44.9%). An increased percentage of health care personnel reporting a vaccination requirement or onsite vaccination availability compared with earlier influenza seasons might have contributed to the overall increase in vaccination coverage during the past 6 influenza seasons.

Influenza Vaccination Coverage Among Health Care Personnel--United States, 2014-15 Influenza Season.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends annual influenza vaccination for all health care personnel (HCP) to reduce influenza-related morbidity and mortality among both HCP and their patients and to decrease absenteeism among HCP. To estimate influenza vaccination coverage among U.S. HCP for the 2014­15 influenza season, CDC conducted an opt-in Internet panel survey of 1,914 HCP during March 31­April 15, 2015. Overall, 77.3% of HCP survey participants reported receiving an influenza vaccination during the 2014­15 season, similar to the 75.2% coverage among HCP reported for the 2013­14 season. Vaccination coverage was highest among HCP working in hospitals (90.4%) and lowest among HCP working in long-term care (LTC) settings (63.9%). By occupation, coverage was highest among pharmacists (95.3%) and lowest among assistants and aides (64.4%). Influenza vaccination coverage was highest among HCP who were required by their employer to be vaccinated (96.0%). Among HCP without an employer requirement for vaccination, coverage was higher for HCP working in settings where vaccination was offered on-site at no cost for 1 day (73.6%) or multiple days (83.9%) and lowest among HCP working in settings where vaccine was neither required, promoted, nor offered on-site (44.0%). Comprehensive vaccination strategies that include making vaccine available at no cost at the workplace along with active promotion of vaccination might help increase vaccination coverage among HCP and reduce the risk for influenza to HCP and their patients.

Influenza Vaccination Coverage Among Pregnant Women--United States, 2014-15 Influenza Season.

Pregnant women and infants are at increased risk for influenza-related complications and hospitalization. Influenza vaccination can reduce the risk for influenza-related illness among pregnant women and their infants. Since 2004, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) have recommended influenza vaccination for all women who are or will be pregnant during the influenza season, regardless of trimester of pregnancy. To assess influenza vaccination coverage among pregnant women during the 2014­15 influenza season, CDC analyzed data from an Internet panel survey conducted during March 31­April 6, 2015. Among 1,702 survey respondents who were pregnant at any time during October 2014­January 2015, 50.3% reported receiving influenza vaccination before or during pregnancy, similar to the reported coverage in the preceding season. Overall, 64.9% of respondents reported receiving a provider offer of influenza vaccination, 14.8% received a recommendation but no offer, and 20.3% received no recommendation. Vaccination coverage among these groups of women was 67.9%, 33.5%, and 8.5%, respectively. Reminder systems and standing orders that allow health care personnel other than the attending provider to assess vaccination status and administer vaccination, can help to ensure that influenza vaccination is recommended and offered to a pregnant woman at each provider visit to increase pregnant women's vaccination coverage.

Update on research-based interventions for anxiety in patients with cancer.

Anxiety may begin at the moment a person is diagnosed with cancer and may fluctuate throughout the cancer trajectory as physical illness improves or declines. The purpose of this article is to present current evidence for nurses to implement interventions to reduce anxiety in patients who have cancer. The PubMed and CINAHL® databases were searched to identify relevant citations addressing interventions that treat or prevent anxiety symptoms in patients with cancer. Based on available evidence, the interventions addressed herein are categorized according to the Putting Evidence Into Practice (PEP®) rating schema. Interventions include pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic approaches to care, and meet criteria for three PEP categories: likely to be effective, effectiveness not established (the largest category of results), or effectiveness unlikely.

Influenza vaccination coverage among health care personnel--United States, 2013-14 influenza season.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends that all health care personnel (HCP) be vaccinated annually against influenza. Vaccination of HCP can reduce influenza-related morbidity and mortality among both HCP and their patients. To estimate influenza vaccination coverage among HCP during the 2013-14 season, CDC analyzed results of an opt-in Internet panel survey of 1,882 HCP conducted during April 1-16, 2014. Overall, 75.2% of participating HCP reported receiving an influenza vaccination during the 2013-14 season, similar to the 72.0% coverage among participating HCP reported in the 2012-13 season. Coverage was highest among HCP working in hospitals (89.6%) and lowest among HCP working in long-term care (LTC) settings (63.0%). By occupation, coverage was highest among physicians (92.2%), nurses (90.5%), nurse practitioners and physician assistants (89.6%), pharmacists (85.7%), and "other clinical personnel" (87.4%) compared with assistants and aides (57.7%) and nonclinical personnel (e.g., administrators, clerical support workers, janitors, and food service workers) (68.6%). HCP working in settings where vaccination was required had higher coverage (97.8%) compared with HCP working in settings where influenza vaccination was not required but promoted (72.4%) or settings where there was no requirement or promotion of vaccination (47.9%). Among HCP without an employer requirement for vaccination, coverage was higher for HCP working in settings where vaccination was offered on-site at no cost for 1 day (61.6%) or multiple days (80.4%) compared with HCP working in settings not offering free on-site vaccination (49.0%). Comprehensive vaccination strategies that include making vaccine available at no cost at the workplace along with active promotion of vaccination might be needed to increase vaccination coverage among HCP and minimize the risk for influenza to HCP and their patients.

Influenza vaccination coverage among pregnant women--United States, 2013-14 influenza season.

Pregnant women and infants are at increased risk for influenza-related complications and hospitalization. Influenza vaccination among pregnant women can reduce their risk for respiratory illness and reduce the risk for influenza in their infants aged <6 months. Since 2004, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists have recommended influenza vaccination for all women who are or will be pregnant during the influenza season, regardless of trimester. To assess influenza vaccination coverage among pregnant women during the 2013-14 influenza season, CDC analyzed data from an Internet panel survey conducted March 31-April 11, 2014. Among 1,619 survey respondents pregnant at any time during October 2013-January 2014, 52.2% reported vaccination before or during pregnancy (17.6% before and 34.6% during pregnancy), similar to the coverage in the preceding season. Overall, 65.1% of women reported receiving a clinician recommendation and offer of influenza vaccination, 15.1% received a clinician recommendation but no offer of vaccination, and 19.8% received no clinician recommendation or offer. Vaccination coverage among these women was 70.5%, 32.0%, and 9.7%, respectively. Continued efforts are needed to encourage clinicians to strongly recommend and offer influenza vaccination to their pregnant patients.

Recommendations for the implementation of distress screening programs in cancer centers: report from the American Psychosocial Oncology Society (APOS), Association of Oncology Social Work (AOSW), and Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) joint task force.

In 2015, the American College of Surgeons (ACoS) Commission on Cancer will require cancer centers to implement screening programs for psychosocial distress as a new criterion for accreditation. A joint task force from the American Psychosocial Oncology Society, the Association of Oncology Social Work, and the Oncology Nursing Society developed consensus-based recommendations to guide the implementation of this requirement. In this review, the authors provide recommendations regarding each of the 6 components necessary to meet the ACoS standard: 1) inclusion of psychosocial representation on the cancer committee, 2) timing of screening, 3) method/mode of screening, 4) tools for screening, 5) assessment and referral, and 6) documentation.

Skin Protection for (SPF) Kids Program.

Skin cancer is increasing faster than any other cancer in the United States. Individuals who have had excessive sun exposure during childhood and adolescence set the stage for the development of skin cancers later in life. In 2009, there were more than 1 million newly diagnosed cases of skin cancer in the United States. This primary prevention program combined the guidelines in the literature resulting in a unique evidence-based program for teachers and informational guidelines for parents. These guidelines were used in classrooms and at home, supporting intervention among school-age children, specifically those in kindergarten through fifth grade.

The first decade of the Massachusetts Tobacco Control Program.

This article provides a comprehensive overview of the first decade of the Massachusetts Tobacco Control Program (MTCP). Born after Massachusetts passed a 1992 ballot initiative raising cigarette excise taxes to fund the program, MTCP greatly reduced statewide cigarette consumption before being reduced to a skeletal state by funding cuts. The article describes the program's components and goals, details outcomes, presents a summary of policy accomplishments, and reviews the present status of MTCP in the current climate of national and state fiscal crises. The first decade of the MTCP offers many lessons learned for the future of tobacco control.