Do they accept compulsory vaccination? Awareness, attitudes and behaviour of hospital health care workers following a new vaccination directive.
Achieving high vaccination rates among health care workers (HCW) is an ongoing challenge. In 2007, the state of New South Wales, Australia instituted a policy directive with compulsory provisions for health care workers to be vaccinated. This study sought to identify staff awareness and attitudes in the early phase of implementation. It involved a self-completed paper-based or electronic survey of HCWs in two tertiary-referral teaching hospitals in Sydney, Australia in 2007. A total of 894/1200 completed the paper survey, whilst a further 185 completed it online. Of the 1079 respondents, 60% (646/1079) were aware of the policy directive but only 10% (63/646) described the specific requirements. Seventy-eight per cent supported the policy; 13% neither supported nor opposed it; and 4% opposed it. This survey provides an early, broad indication of the level of understanding and the attitudes of the HCWs towards the new directive.
Seale
Holly
H
School of Public Health and Community Medicine, Level 2, Samuels Building, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. h.seale@unsw.edu.au
Leask
Julie
J
Macintyre
C Raina
CR
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001364:Awareness; D005260:Female; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009517:New South Wales; D010564:Personnel, Hospital / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014611:Vaccination / Q000523:psychology*