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HCW attitudes predicted influenza vaccine uptake
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Targeting health care workers’ attitudes toward influenza vaccines and creating promotion in the workplace can help increase uptake, according to recent study findings published in the American Journal of Infection Control.
“Key modifiable attitudes and beliefs driving vaccine uptake included the following: desire to protect family members and patients from pH1N1, the belief that vaccination is important even if one is in good health, confidence in vaccine safety, and supervisor and physician encouragement,” researchers wrote. “[Health care worker] pH1N1 vaccine uptake was also motivated by fear and inhibited by misperceptions regarding vaccine safety and the belief of allergy to vaccine components.”
The cross-sectional survey included 3,275 health care workers (HCW). Participants completed measures of demographics, vaccination history, influenza risk factors and attitudes toward pH1N1 vaccination.
Researchers found that 87.4% of participants received the vaccine. The attitudes and beliefs of HCWs significantly predicted vaccination (area under the curve=0.95; 95% CI, 0.93-0.96), even after adjusting for demographics, vaccine history and influenza risk factors.
“Our results suggest that future influenza vaccine campaigns should target HCW attitudes and perceptions to improve vaccination uptake in both pandemic and nonpandemic scenarios,” researchers wrote. “Furthermore, a culture of vaccine promotion in the workplace, characterized by strong consistent messaging from HCW supervisors and colleagues to enhance vaccine uptake, is important. Finally, physicians play an important role in driving HCW vaccine uptake: thus, strong physician support, encouragement, and leadership will likely be important in the success of future vaccine campaigns.”
Disclosure: The study was funded in part by the Canadian Institute of Health Research Institute of Population and Public Health and the Institute of Gender and Health.
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