title: Hepatitis B vaccine: acceptance among occupational health nurses practicing in hospital employee health settings.
abstract: Seventy-seven percent of the hospital employee nurses in this study had accepted hepatitis B vaccine, a higher rate than that reported in the literature for other health care workers. The study found a significant relationship between increased perceived susceptibility to HBV and hepatitis B vaccine acceptance. The unvaccinated nurses did not perceive the employee health setting as risky, yet their clientele (health care workers) are five to 10 times more likely than the general population to be hepatitis B carriers. The younger and less experienced nurses were significantly more likely to have been vaccinated. The hepatitis B vaccine should be offered early in the career of employed health care workers, made accessible at the worksite, and offered to student health care workers. Hepatitis B vaccine education and counseling should focus on increasing perceived susceptibility to HBV for all health care workers and stress vaccine safety and effectiveness.
authors.forename: D B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Mundt
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D009785:Occupational Health Nursing / Q000592:standards*; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines