Support for seasonal influenza vaccination requirements among US healthcare personnel.
OBJECTIVE
To measure support for seasonal influenza vaccination requirements among US healthcare personnel (HCP) and its associations with attitudes regarding influenza and influenza vaccination and self-reported coverage by existing vaccination requirements.


METHODS
Between June 1 and June 30, 2010, we surveyed a sample of US HCP ([Formula: see text]) recruited using an existing probability-based online research panel of participants representing the US general population as a sampling frame.


METHODS
General community.


METHODS
Eligible HCP who (1) reported having worked as medical doctors, health technologists, healthcare support staff, or other health practitioners or who (2) reported having worked in hospitals, ambulatory care facilities, long-term care facilities, or other health-related settings.


METHODS
We analyzed support for seasonal influenza vaccination requirements for HCP using proportion estimation and multivariable probit models.


RESULTS
A total of 57.4% (95% confidence interval, 53.3%-61.5%) of US HCP agreed that HCP should be required to be vaccinated for seasonal influenza. Support for mandatory vaccination was statistically significantly higher among HCP who were subject to employer-based influenza vaccination requirements, who considered influenza to be a serious disease, and who agreed that influenza vaccine was safe and effective.


CONCLUSIONS
A majority of HCP support influenza vaccination requirements. Moreover, providing HCP with information about the safety of influenza vaccination and communicating that immunization of HCP is a patient safety issue may be important for generating staff support for influenza vaccination requirements.
RAND Corporation, Arlington, Virginia, USA. jurgen.maurer@unil.ch
Jürgen
J
Maurer
Katherine M
KM
Harris
Carla L
CL
Black
Gary L
GL
Euler
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D053118:Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype; D007252:Influenza Vaccines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000517:prevention & control*; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D058873:Pandemics; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States; D014611:Vaccination / Q000523:psychology*
D007252:Influenza Vaccines