Concern for patient safety was only third in a list of reasons why healthcare workers get flu vaccinations, according to a study in Germany.
The most common reason among those who get vaccinated was personal safety and the safety of their family. Fear of adverse effects, low estimation of the risk of infection and skepticism over the efficacy of the vaccine were the most common reasons workers did not get vaccinated, according to the study from Johann Wolfgang Goethe University Hospital in Frankfurt. Less than one third of healthcare workers get vaccinated against seasonal influenza. The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology in the United States recently said that all healthcare workers should be inculated against seasonal flu and H1N1.
One method that improved healthcare worker inoculation rates last year was making it mandatory for non-vaccinated employees of the Frankfurt University Hospital to wear protective masks, researchers said. Within 10 days, compliance had risen to 57.7% from 33%, according to the report. Study authors conclude that it is unlikely that facilities will achieve adequate compliance rates through voluntary inoculation programs, and recommend compulsory flu jabs for all healthcare workers. The report appears in the latest issue of Deutsches Ärzteblatt International.
