Do influenza epidemics affect patterns of sickness absence among British hospital staff?
Influenza vaccination for healthcare workers is not recommended in Britain, but some hospitals offer vaccine to reduce sickness absence. However, in Nottingham, the influenza epidemics of 1993-94 and 1996-97 made no impact on staff absence. Annual vaccination of healthcare workers against influenza is unlikely to reduce absence most winters, but there may be gains in terms of preventing nosocomial infection.
Nguyen-Van-Tam
J
J
Division of Public Health Medicine and Epidemiology, University of Nottingham Medical School, United Kingdom.
Granfield
R
R
Pearson
J
J
Fleming
D
D
Keating
N
N
D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004739:England / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D008297:Male; D016555:Matched-Pair Analysis; D010564:Personnel, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012621:Seasons; D018582:Sick Leave; D014611:Vaccination / Q000191:economics