title: [Rate of influenza vaccination among medical staff working at a university hospital].
abstract: BACKGROUND AND OBJEKTIVES: In 1988 the German Vaccination Board (STIKO) at the Robert-Koch-Institute (RKI) in Berlin, recommended that German health care workers should be vaccinated annually against influenza. Despite this, vaccination rates have remained low (20 %). Between January and March 2009 a study was performed at the University Clinical Centre in Essen to determine reasons for low influenza vaccination rates and to assess improvement strategies.
  
  
  METHODS
  All employees and staff members of the University Hospital (n = 5349) were asked to fill in a questionnaire anonymously. The completed questionnaires were digitalized and the results analysed electronically.
  
  
  RESULTS
  1 670 of the 5 349 (31 %) questionnaires were found to be satisfactory for evaluation. The vaccination rate among this cohort was 29 %. Vaccination rates varied widely between different departments (4 - 71 %). The most common reason for not undergoing vaccination was "forgotten" (32 %). The second most common reason was the fear of side effects (30 %). Only 32 % of the employees stated that the quality of the information about influenza vaccination provided by their employer was "good" or "very good".
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The vaccination rate of 29 % among this group of health care workers was higher than the average (20 %) in German hospitals and highest among medical doctors. Strikingly enough employees of theoretic departments were vaccinated to a higher percentage than those providing nursing care and thus had more frequent contact to patients. A number of comparatively basic and inexpensive measures would be enough to increase vaccination rates significantly.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Virologie, Universitätsklinikum Essen.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Roggendorf
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sprave
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hertel
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Morscheck
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Roggendorf
mesh_terms: D000288:Administrative Personnel / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000328:Adult; D000488:Allied Health Personnel / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000635:transmission*; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006306:Health Surveys; D006785:Hospitals, University / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D017757:Infectious Disease Transmission, Professional-to-Patient / Q000517:prevention & control; D007252:Influenza Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000635:transmission*; D008297:Male; D032541:Mass Vaccination / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008505:Medical Staff, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009894:Opportunistic Infections / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000635:transmission; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014600:Utilization Review; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D007252:Influenza Vaccines