title: Hepatitis B vaccination: uptake by medical staff in accident and emergency departments.
abstract: To assess the current uptake of hepatitis B vaccine and attitudes towards immunization among accident and emergency practitioners in the UK, a postal survey was carried out. Questionnaires were sent to 742 members of the British Association for Accident and Emergency Medicine (BAEM). Four hundred and six (55%) replies were received. Of 351 respondents in career-grade posts 309 (88%) had received a full course of immunizations. Five respondents were not immunized and not intending to be so, reporting 13 different factors influencing their decisions. The risks of hepatitis B in nonimmune subjects are discussed, as are new government guidelines on the protection of health care workers from hepatitis B infection.
authors.affiliation: Whiston Hospital, Prescot, Merseyside, UK.
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Nee
authors.forename: P E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Randall
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Heyworth
mesh_terms: D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D008505:Medical Staff, Hospital; D006113:United Kingdom; D014611:Vaccination / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*