title: Assessing Interventions To Improve Influenza Vaccine Uptake Among Health Care Workers.
abstract: Despite official recommendations for health care workers to receive the influenza vaccine, uptake remains low. This systematic review of randomized controlled trials was conducted to understand the evidence about interventions to improve influenza vaccine uptake among health care workers. We identified twelve randomized controlled trials that, collectively, assessed six major categories of interventions involving 193,924 health care workers in high-income countries. The categories were educational materials and training sessions, improved access to the vaccine, rewards following vaccination, organized efforts to raise vaccine awareness, reminders to get vaccinated, and the use of lead advocates for vaccination. Only one of the four studies that evaluated the effect of a single intervention in isolation demonstrated a significantly higher vaccine uptake rate in the intervention group, compared to controls. However, five of the eight studies that evaluated a combination of strategies showed significantly higher vaccine uptake. Despite the low quality of the studies identified, the data suggest that combined interventions can moderately increase vaccine uptake among health care workers. Further methodologically appropriate trials of combined interventions tailored to individual health care settings and incorporating less-studied strategies would enhance the evidence about interventions to improve immunization uptake among health care workers.
authors: Harunor Rashid (harunor.rashid@health.nsw.gov.au) is an epidemiologist in the National Centre for Immunisation Resarch and Surveillance of Vaccine Preventable Diseases (NCIRS), Kids Research Institute, Children's Hospital at Westmead, New South Wales, Australia.
authors: Harunor
authors: H
authors: Rashid
authors: Jiehui Kevin Yin is a conjoint lecturer at the Sydney School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Sydney, in New South Wales.
authors: Jiehui Kevin
authors: JK
authors: Yin
authors: Kirsten Ward is a monitoring and evaluation officer at the NCIRS, Kids Research Institute, Children's Hospital at Westmead.
authors: Kirsten
authors: K
authors: Ward
authors: Catherine King is a medical librarian at the NCIRS, Kids Research Institute, Children's Hospital at Westmead.
authors: Catherine
authors: C
authors: King
authors: Holly Seale is a senior lecturer in the School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of New South Wales, in Sydney.
authors: Holly
authors: H
authors: Seale
authors: Robert Booy is head of clinical research at the NCIRS, Kids Research Institute, Children's Hospital at Westmead.
authors: Robert
authors: R
authors: Booy
mesh_terms: D006282:Health Personnel / Q000193:education*; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D017589:Immunization Programs / Q000458:organization & administration*; D017053:Infection Control / Q000458:organization & administration; D007252:Influenza Vaccines; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011634:Public Health; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D014611:Vaccination / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
chemical_list: D007252:Influenza Vaccines
keywords: Health Promotion/Disease Prevention; Public Health; Workforce Issues