Improving influenza vaccination rates of healthcare workers: a multipronged approach in Qatar

摘要

We assessed whether an influenza vaccination (IV) campaign was effective at increasing vaccination rate inhealthcare workers (HCWs) in 2 hospitals in Doha, Qatar that had no mandatory IV policy. The campaign comprisedpromotional, educational and vaccine delivery interventions; a dedicated IV team; telephone hotline; free IV withimproved access, leadership involvement; incentives; group educational sessions; and reporting/tracking activities.During the 2014/15 influenza season, IV rates according to hospital and HCW category were calculated and comparedwith the 2 seasons before the intervention. The combined mean rate for IV for both hospitals increased for 2014/15(64.3%) compared with 2013/14 (37.2%) and 2012/13 (28.4%). There was increased IV uptake among doctors andnurses at each hospital, and the IV rate for the 2 hospitals (59.1 and 69.5%) were higher than in 2013/14 (21.1% and 53.2%)and 2012/13 (17.2% and 39.6%). The findings highlight the importance of improving IV rates among HCWs in hospitalswith no mandatory vaccination policies through multicomponent interventions.