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Attitudes and Practices Regarding Influenza Vaccination Among Healthcare Workers Providing Services to Individuals With Spinal Cord Injuries and Disorders

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Sherri L. LaVela ,
Bridget Smith ,
Frances M. Weaver ,
Marcia W. Legro ,
Barry Goldstein  and
Kristin Nichol
Sherri L. LaVela*
Affiliation:
Spinal Cord Injury Quality Enhancement Research Initiative, Midwest Center for Health Services and Policy Research, Department of Veterans Affairs, Edward Hines Jr. Veterans Affairs Hospital, Hines, Illinois
Bridget Smith
Affiliation:
Spinal Cord Injury Quality Enhancement Research Initiative, Midwest Center for Health Services and Policy Research, Department of Veterans Affairs, Edward Hines Jr. Veterans Affairs Hospital, Hines, Illinois
Frances M. Weaver
Affiliation:
Spinal Cord Injury Quality Enhancement Research Initiative, Midwest Center for Health Services and Policy Research, Department of Veterans Affairs, Edward Hines Jr. Veterans Affairs Hospital, Hines, Illinois Institute for Health Services Research and Policy Studies, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois
Marcia W. Legro
Affiliation:
Spinal Cord Injury Quality Enhancement Research Initiative, Health Services Research and Development, Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, Washington
Barry Goldstein
Affiliation:
Spinal Cord Injury Quality Enhancement Research Initiative, Health Services Research and Development, Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, Washington Spinal Cord Injury and Disorders Strategic Healthcare Group and the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, Washington
Kristin Nichol
Affiliation:
Medicine Service, Department of Veterans Affairs, Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
*
Midwest Center for Health Services and Policy Research (151-H), Hines, IL 60141
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Abstract

Objective:

To examine influenza vaccination status and predictors for vaccine receipt among healthcare workers (HCWs) caring for patients with spinal cord injuries and disorders.

Design:

Cross-sectional, nationwide anonymous survey.

Setting:

Twenty-three Veterans Affairs spinal cord injury centers.

Participants:

One thousand five hundred fifty-six HCWs.

Methods:

The primary outcome was staff vaccination status. Independent variables included staff demographic and employment characteristics, health status, attitudes and beliefs about the vaccine, and implications for its use.

Results:

The staff vaccination rate was 51%. Leading motivators of vaccine receipt were self-protection (77%) and patient protection (49%). The most common reasons for nonreceipt were concerns about side effects (49%), preventive quality (20%), and inconvenience (14%). Logistic regression results suggested that age of 50 years or older (OR, 1.47; P = .021), male gender (OR, 2.50; P < .001), strong belief in vaccine effectiveness (OR, 19.03; P = .008), and importance of HCW vaccination (OR, 20.50; P = .005) significantly increased the probability of vaccination. Recommending the vaccine to coworkers, patients, or patients' families was also associated with HCW vaccination (OR, 3.20; P < .001). Providers who did not believe the vaccine was protective (P < .001) or effective P < .001) were less likely to recommend it to patients.

Conclusions:

Strategies to increase vaccination rates among HCWs should address concerns about side effects, effectiveness, and protective value of the vaccine and access to it. The impact of provider recommendations should be stressed. Vaccination and subsequent prevention of illness may limit morbidity and mortality, thus benefiting HCWs, healthcare facilities, and patients.

Type
Original Articles
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 25 , Issue 11 , November 2004 , pp. 933 - 940
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America 2004

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