title: A public health initiative to increase annual influenza immunization among hospital health care personnel: the San Diego Hospital Influenza Immunization Partnership.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A public health department-supported intervention to increase influenza immunization among hospital-based health care practitioners (HCPs) in San Diego County took place between 2005 and 2008. The study included all major hospitals in the county, with a population of approximately 3.5 million.
  
  
  METHODS
  Information on hospital activities was collected from before, during and after initiative activities. Vaccination status and demographics were collected directly from HCP using hospital-based and random-dialed telephone surveys.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Between 2006 and 2008, hospitals increased promotion activities and reported increases in vaccination rates. Based on the random-dialed surveys, HCP influenza vaccination coverage rates did not increase significantly. Vaccination rates were significantly higher in HCPs who reported that employers provided free vaccination and those who believed that their employers mandated influenza vaccination.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This local public health initiative and concurrent state legislation were effective in increasing employer efforts to promote influenza vaccination; however, population-based surveys of HCPs did not show significant increases in influenza vaccination. Overall, this study suggests that public health leadership, intensive employer promotion activities, and state-required declinations alone were not sufficient to significantly increase HCP influenza vaccination. Policymakers and employers should consider mandates to achieve optimal influenza vaccination among HCPs.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Infectious Disease, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Mark H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Sawyer
authors.forename: K Michael
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Peddecord
authors.forename: Wendy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Deguire
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miskewitch-Dzulynsky
authors.forename: David D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Vuong
mesh_terms: D002140:California; D004363:Drug Utilization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends; D006282:Health Personnel; D006291:Health Policy; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D007252:Influenza Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016134:Organizational Policy; D011635:Public Health Administration / Q000379:methods*; D014611:Vaccination / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D007252:Influenza Vaccines