title: Vaccination status among nurses in hospitals. Results of a cross sectional study at Harzklinikum Dorothea Christiane Erxleben Quedlinburg
abstract: Background: Health care workers can be multiplicators for infectious diseases due to their patient contacts. Vaccinations are not mandatory in Germany but there are recommendations for people at higher risk such as health care workers. There is no representative data regarding vaccination status of health care workers in Germany. Aim: We examined vaccination status among nurses regarding diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, poliomyelitis, hepatitis A (HA) and hepatitis B (HB) as well as correlations between age, professional years, vaccination status and acceptance. Methods: An anonymous cross sectional survey concerning health burden and health behavior including vaccination was conducted among health care workers. Statistical analysis using SPSS included descriptive analysis, subgroup specific differences of distribution were tested by chi2-tests. Results: Regardless of age or professional years, 99 % of the nurses evaluated that vaccinations are at least “partly necessary”. Sufficient vaccination status was reported more often concerning tetanus (82 %) and HB (70 %) but less often regarding diphtheria (52 %), poliomyelitis (49 %), HA (43 %) and pertussis (42 %). With respect to some vaccinations, proportion of nurses not knowing their vaccination status was higher than 20 %. Conclusions: Despite the high vaccination acceptance, vaccination status among participating nurses was not sufficient. Implementation of vaccination measures targeting health care workers should be strengthened to reach higher vaccination coverages to prevent vaccination preventable infectious diseases among health care workers and patients in hospitals.
authors.affiliation: 1 Bereich Allgemeinmedizin/MK3, Medizinische Fakultät, Technische Universität Dresden.
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Voigt
authors.affiliation: 2 Berufsgenossenschaft für Gesundheitsdienst und Wohlfahrtspflege, Dresden.
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rühle
authors.affiliation: 1 Bereich Allgemeinmedizin/MK3, Medizinische Fakultät, Technische Universität Dresden.
authors.forename: Antje
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bergmann
authors.affiliation: 1 Bereich Allgemeinmedizin/MK3, Medizinische Fakultät, Technische Universität Dresden.
authors.forename: Jeannine
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schübel
authors.affiliation: 3 Harzklinikum Dorothea Christiane Erxleben GmbH, Quedlinburg.|4 Fakultät Gesundheits- und Pflegewissenschaften, Westsächsische Hochschule Zwickau.
authors.forename: Kathleen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hirsch
authors.affiliation: 1 Bereich Allgemeinmedizin/MK3, Medizinische Fakultät, Technische Universität Dresden.
authors.forename: Henna
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Riemenschneider
mesh_terms: D003140:Communicable Disease Control / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000451:nursing* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D017589:Immunization Programs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007117:Immunization, Secondary / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017757:Infectious Disease Transmission, Professional-to-Patient / Q000517:prevention & control*; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014611:Vaccination / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
keywords: Impfungen; Krankenhaus; Krankenpflegepersonal; hospitals; nurses; vaccination