AHPRA and the National Boards are calling on health practitioners and students to pitch in with national efforts of COVID-19 vaccination.
Vaccination is a key component of Australia’s public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic and registered as well as medical students will have a vital role in the success of COVID-19 vaccination programs. Health practitioners and students will also have an important role educating the public about the importance and safety of COVID-19 vaccines, with the goal of reaching high participation rates from the general public.
In a recent statement, the 15 National Health Practitioner Boards (National Boards) and the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) calls on registered health practitioner and students to join the national efforts to curb the COVID-19 pandemic.
In their statement, AHPRA and the National Boards highlights their expectation of all Australian registered health practitioners, in regards to:
- being vaccinated against COVID-19,
- administering COVID-19 vaccines, and
- providing advice and information about COVID-19 vaccination
According to the statement, “National Boards strongly encourage all registered health practitioners and students (particularly those undertaking placements in various practice settings) to have the full COVID-19 vaccination course as scheduled unless medically contraindicated.”
This expectation is in line with the National Boards’ codes of conduct for registered health practitioners, which says they have a responsibility to participate in efforts to promote the health of communities and should meet obligations involving disease prevention, such as vaccination efforts, health screening and the reporting of notifiable diseases.
For health practitioners running a practice, the National Boards says that, regardless of their vaccination status, practitioners must have appropriate measures in place to prevent and manage any risks of transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus to patients, colleagues and the wider community.
In terms of Social media, practitioners are advised to visit their social media guidance online resource, which will help registered health practitioners understand and meet their obligations when using social media. In particular, the statement says, this guidance resource will help practitioners ensure that their social media activity “is consistent with the regulatory framework for their profession and does not contradict or counter public health campaigns or messaging,” the statement said.
Any breach of conduct can have serious repercussions. For example, any communications through social media or other mechanism that includes false, misleading or deceptive claims about COVID-19, such as anti-vaccination material, may result in prosecution by AHPRA. “Any promotion of anti-vaccination statements or health advice which contradicts the best available scientific evidence or seeks to actively undermine the national immunisation campaign (including via social media) is not supported by National Boards and may be in breach of the codes of conduct and subject to investigation and possible regulatory action,” the statement said.
“There is no place for anti-vaccination messages in professional health practice, and any promotion of anti-vaccination claims including on social media, and advertising may be subject to regulatory action,” said Mr Brett Simmonds, Co-chair of the Forum of NRAS Chairs and Pharmacy Board Chair, in a press release.
AHPRA CEO, Mr Martin Fletcher, said in a press release that it is important that, as part of the national response to the pandemic, Australia’s 800,000 registered practitioners and 193,800 students are aware of what is expected of them.
“If you’re a registered health practitioner or student, the best thing to do is to read our joint statement. It explains the National Boards’ expectations of registered health practitioners about receiving, administering and sharing information about COVID-19 vaccination. It’s important you understand these expectations so that patients and communities are best protected against the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19,” he said in a press release.
To read the full statement by the National Boards and AHPRA, as well as additional relevant information, head to this website and for additional information from AHPRA and the National Boards see this webpage.