To assess factors associated with influenza vaccination of healthcare workers. Nearly all of the practitioners had daily or weekly contact with elderly or high-risk patients. Vaccine recipients were significantly more likely than were vaccine nonrecipients to indicate that influenza and its complications are very serious for high-risk patients. They also were more likely to report that the vaccine is very effective, that influenza vaccination is uncommonly associated with side effects, that healthcare workers' risk for contracting influenza is higher than the general public's risk, and that it is very important for healthcare workers to receive the vaccine to decrease risk for transmission to high-risk patients. After stepwise logistic regression, variables independently associated with receipt of vaccine were age, prior receipt of vaccine, being a physician, considering the vaccine to be very effective, believing that systemic side effects are uncommon, and indicating that it is very important for healthcare workers to receive vaccine for the protection of their patients.
Many healthcare workers fail to receive influenza vaccine each year.
From the Preventive Medicine Program, Medicine Service, Veterans' Affairs Medical Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota. The authors thank Ann Shepard and LeAnn Ellingson for their support of this study. Nichol KL, Hauge M. Influenza vaccination of healthcare workers. Go to Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology. Try out a free issue.