Strategies to address poor influenza vaccine compliance in healthcare workers

摘要

Influenza vaccines are safe and have the potential to prevent significant morbidity and mortalityud1ud. Healthcare Workersud(HCWs) are at increased risk of influenza infectionud2ud. There are many reports of influenza outbreaks where unvaccinatedudHCWs have infected patients and facilitated onward spread of infectionud3,4ud. Vaccinating HCWs reduces influenza-relatedudmorbidity and mortality in vaccine recipients and in high-risk patients. Another benefit is reduction of staff illnessudand absenteeism during the influenza periodud5ud. Despite longstanding recommendation for annual influenza vaccine in HCWs,uduptake remains poor (17% across acute hospitals in Ireland in 2012-2013)ud6ud. A dedicated vaccine-unit was established inudthe department of GU medicine and Infectious Diseases (GUIDE) St Jamesâ s Hospital, Dublin in 2002 to address poorudvaccine uptake in attending HIV-infected patients. Targeted interventions including individualised vaccine passports,udSMS text reminders along with patient education have facilitated improvement in vaccine coverage (influenza vaccineudcoverage >90% achieved in attending HIV-infected cohort (n~2000 in 2013-2014). Despite successes of the outpatientudvaccine programme, influenza vaccine uptake in HCWs in GUIDE in 2011-2012 was only 52% (31/60). A staff survey wasudundertaken in April 2012 to investigate reasons for poor vaccine uptake. Here we report results of the survey anduddescribe interventions employed to improve vaccine uptake