scholarly journals Influenza Vaccination of Healthcare Workers and Vaccine Allocation for Healthcare Workers During Vaccine Shortages

2005 ◽  
Vol 26 (11) ◽  
pp. 882-890 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas R. Talbot ◽  
Suzanne F. Bradley ◽  
Sara E. Cosgrove ◽  
Christian Ruef ◽  
Jane D. Siegel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Risk ◽  
Influenza Vaccination ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Close Contact ◽  
Risk Groups ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Vaccination Rates ◽  
Healthcare Associated ◽  
Vaccine Shortages

AbstractInfluenza causes substantial morbidity and mortality annually, particularly in high-risk groups such as the elderly, young children, immunosuppressed individuals, and individuals with chronic illnesses. Healthcare-associated transmission of influenza contributes to this burden but is often under-recognized except in the setting of large outbreaks. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended annual influenza vaccination for healthcare workers (HCWs) with direct patient contact since 1984 and for all HCWs since 1993. The rationale for these recommendations is to reduce the chance that HCWs serve as vectors for healthcare-associated influenza due to their close contact with high-risk patients and to enhance both HCW and patient safety. Despite these recommendations as well as the effectiveness of interventions designed to increase HCW vaccination rates, the percentage of HCWs vaccinated annually remains unacceptably low. Ironically, at the same time that campaigns have sought to increase HCW vaccination rates, vaccine shortages, such as the shortage during the 2004-2005 influenza season, present challenges regarding allocation of available vaccine supplies to both patients and HCWs. This two-part document outlines the position of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America on influenza vaccination for HCWs and provides guidance for the allocation of influenza vaccine to HCWs during a vaccine shortage based on influenza transmission routes and the essential need for a practical and adaptive strategy for allocation. These recommendations apply to all types of healthcare facilities, including acute care hospitals, long-term-care facilities, and ambulatory care settings.

scholarly journals PIN41 INFLUENZA VACCINATION RATES AMONG HIGH RISK GROUPS IN THE UNITED STATES

2011 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. A121
Author(s):  
M. DiBonaventura ◽  
J.S. Wagner ◽  
A. Goren
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Influenza Vaccination ◽  
Risk Groups ◽  
The United States ◽  
Vaccination Rates

scholarly journals Impact of an influenza vaccine educational programme on healthcare personnel

2016 ◽  
Vol 144 (11) ◽  
pp. 2290-2294 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. RODRÍGUEZ-FERNÁNDEZ ◽  
A. B. MARTÍNEZ-LÓPEZ ◽  
J. PÉREZ-MORENO ◽  
M. I. GONZÁLEZ-SÁNCHEZ ◽  
F. GONZÁLEZ-MARTÍNEZ ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Risk ◽  
Influenza Vaccination ◽  
Risk Groups ◽  
Educational Programme ◽  
Healthcare Personnel ◽  
Preventive Strategy ◽  
Paediatric Hospital ◽  
Vaccination Rates ◽  
Question Survey ◽  
Effective Preventive Strategy

SUMMARYInfluenza vaccination has been shown to be the most effective preventive strategy to reduce influenza-related morbidity and mortality in high-risk groups. Despite healthcare personnel (HCP) being considered part of such high-risk groups, their vaccination coverage is low in Europe. In January 2012, we distributed an 18-question survey regarding influenza vaccination to HCP at Gregorio Marañon Paediatric Hospital, in Madrid, Spain. After we documented that only ~30% of HCP were vaccinated an educational programme was implemented in October 2012 before the next influenza season. In January 2013, the same survey delivered again to all HCP documented a significant increase in vaccination rates (from 30% to 40%, P = 0·007) mainly among physicians and for patients' protection. In summary we found that a simple and inexpensive educational programme significantly improved the uptake of influenza vaccination in HCP in our centre. Nevertheless, vaccination rates remained low, and broader and updated campaigns are needed to overcome perception barriers.

scholarly journals Revised SHEA Position Paper: Influenza Vaccination of Healthcare Personnel

2010 ◽  
Vol 31 (10) ◽  
pp. 987-995 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas R. Talbot ◽  
Hilary Babcock ◽  
Arthur L. Caplan ◽  
Deborah Cotton ◽  
Lisa L. Maragakis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Influenza Vaccination ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Position Paper ◽  
Healthcare Personnel ◽  
Executive Summary ◽  
Vaccination Rates ◽  
Official Statement ◽  
Healthcare Epidemiology ◽  
Vaccine Shortages ◽  
New Evidence

Executive SummaryThis document serves as an update and companion piece to the 2005 Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) Position Paper entitled “Influenza Vaccination of Healthcare Workers and Vaccine Allocation for Healthcare Workers During Vaccine Shortages.” In large part, the discussion about the rationale for influenza vaccination of healthcare personnel (HCP), the strategies designed to improve influenza vaccination rates in this population, and the recommendations made in the 2005 paper still stand. This position paper notes new evidence released since publication of the 2005 paper and strengthens SHEA's position on the importance of influenza vaccination of HCP. This document does not discuss vaccine allocation during times of vaccine shortage, because the 2005 SHEA Position Paper still serves as the Society's official statement on that issue.

scholarly journals Influenza vaccination coverage among healthcare workers during the first two seasons of data collection, Finland, 2017-2019

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlotte C Hammer ◽  
Outi Lyytikäinen ◽  
Dinah Arifulla ◽  
Toura Saija ◽  
Hanna Nohynek
Keyword(s):  
High Risk ◽  
Influenza Vaccination ◽  
Vaccination Coverage ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Risk Groups ◽  
Severe Illness ◽  
Immunocompromised Patients ◽  
Web Based ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Improve Patient

Background: Influenza can cause severe illness among high-risk groups such as elderly and immunocompromised patients. Mandatory influenza vaccination of healthcare workers (HCWs) has been viewed as means to improve patient and HCW protection. Methods: We analyzed data collected by a web-based survey sent annually to all Finnish acute care hospitals and described the influenza vaccination coverage among HCWs during seasons 2017/18 (without mandate) and 2018/19 (mandate enforced). Results: In season 2017/2018, 38/39 hospitals provided data and 35/36 hospitals in 2018/2019. The mean coverage in season 2017/18 was 88% (median, 84%; range 48-100%) and in 2018/19 91% (median, 91%; range 57-100%). The mean increase from season 2017/2018 to 2018/2019 was 6.5% (median, 3%; range -11.0-33.0%). Conclusions: The coverage of influenza vaccinated HCWs in Finnish hospitals was high. However, there were major differences between hospitals which raise the question about data quality as well as implementation of the mandate, and need further evaluation.

Influenza Vaccination in Long-Term–Care Facilities: Structuring Programs for Success

1999 ◽  
Vol 20 (7) ◽  
pp. 499-503 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret A. McArthur ◽  
Andrew E. Simor ◽  
Beverly Campbell ◽  
Allison McGeer
Keyword(s):  
Influenza Vaccination ◽  
Long Term Care ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Vaccination Programs ◽  
Vaccination Rates ◽  
Care Facilities

Objectives:To determine which influenza vaccination program characteristics were associated with high resident vaccination rates in Canadian long-term–care facilities (LTCFs).Design:A cross-sectional survey consisting of a mailed questionnaire conducted in spring 1991.Participants:All 1,520 Canadian LTCFs for the elderly with at least 25 beds.Results:The mean overall influenza vaccination rate in the 1,270 (84%) responding facilities was 79%. In multivariate analysis, the variables significantly associated with increased vaccination rates were: a single nonphysician staff person organizing the program, having more program aspects covered by written policies, the offering of vaccine to all residents, a policy of obtaining consent on admission that was durable for future years rather than repeating consent annually, and automatically administering vaccine to residents whose guardians could not be contacted for consent. Any encouragement to staff to be vaccinated had a significant impact on staff vaccination rates.Conclusion:Well-organized influenza vaccination programs increase the influenza vaccination rates of residents in Canadian LTCFs. Facilities need to develop resident vaccination programs further and to focus on vaccinating staff.

scholarly journals Seasonal influenza vaccination: from hesitancy to social norm

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 902
Author(s):  
Asif Parvez Malik ◽  
Sanjeewa Sumathipala
Keyword(s):  
High Risk ◽  
Influenza Vaccination ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Seasonal Influenza ◽  
Social Norm ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Vaccine Coverage ◽  
Risk Groups ◽  
Vaccine Uptake ◽  
World Health

Seasonal influenza is of the most globally burdening vaccine-preventable diseases, infecting 3-5 billion people annually and according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) resulting in 250,000 to 500,000 deaths worldwide. Vaccination against influenza and all respiratory infections carries greater emphasis in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic. With added pressure on healthcare systems due to the coronavirus, Qatar is one country that is keen to emphasise the importance of influenza vaccination to prevent potential co-infection causing severe disease especially in high-risk groups. Currently seasonal influenza vaccines protect against 3 or 4 strains with revised data from the WHO twice yearly due to the changing natures of strains helping to maximise efficacy of the vaccines. It is recommended for specific high-risk groups to be prioritised for vaccination, including pregnant women, the elderly, children above 6 months of age, patients with chronic conditions as well as front line healthcare workers with risk of exposure. However, uptake of the vaccine remains low and contributes significantly to the burden of the disease. Barriers to vaccine uptake can be physical, such as unhealthy lifestyles, psychological, such as perception of disease as low-risk, contextual, such as lack of access to vaccinations, or sociodemographic, such as living alone. Vaccine coverage can be increased by knowledge of these barriers and how to address them. The physical barriers highlight the need to support behavioural change in lifestyle in order to increase vaccine uptake. Psychological barriers, usually due to misconceptions, can be addressed with education through public health campaigns and interactions between health professionals and patients. This education is not just a need for patients but also healthcare workers. It is up to healthcare providers and contractors to find ways of addressing contextual and sociodemographic barriers by increasing access to vaccination whether through transport, or home–care etc. A key barrier of those mentioned to vaccination is a lack of knowledge which needs to be addressed though positive discussions about the health benefits of immunisation as well as the traditional idea of disease-risk prevention. Addressing the above barriers will help to increase vaccine uptake, and produce health-conscientious societies where vaccination becomes a social norm.

Suicide in Nógrád County, Hungary, 1970-1994

Crisis ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 64-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamás Zonda
Keyword(s):  
High Risk ◽  
Psychiatric Disorders ◽  
Suicide Rate ◽  
Risk Groups ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Female Ratio ◽  
Suicide Notes ◽  
Suicidal Intention ◽  
Male Female Ratio

The author examined completed suicides occurring over a period of 25 years in a county of Hungary with a traditionally low (relatively speaking) suicide rate of 25.8. The rates are clearly higher in villages than in the towns. The male/female ratio was close to 4:1, among elderly though only 1.5:1. The high risk groups are the elderly, divorced, and widowed. Violent methods are chosen in 66.4% of the cases. The rates are particularly high in the period April-July. Prior communication of suicidal intention was revealed in 16.3% of all cases. Previous attempts had been undertaken by 17%, which in turn means that 83% of suicides were first attempts. In our material 10% the victims left suicide notes. Psychiatric disorders were present in 60.1% of the cases, and severe, multiple somatic illnesses (including malignomas) were present in 8.8%. The majority of the data resemble those found in the literature.

scholarly journals SARS-CoV-2 Seroprevalence in Healthcare Workers in Germany: A Follow-Up Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (9) ◽  
pp. 4540
Author(s):  
Johannes Korth ◽  
Benjamin Wilde ◽  
Sebastian Dolff ◽  
Jasmin Frisch ◽  
Michael Jahn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Risk ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Risk Group ◽  
Close Contact ◽  
Virus Transmission ◽  
High Risk Group ◽  
Low Risk ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
Intermediate Risk ◽  
Igg Antibody

SARS-CoV-2 is a worldwide challenge for the medical sector. Healthcare workers (HCW) are a cohort vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2 infection due to frequent and close contact with COVID-19 patients. However, they are also well trained and equipped with protective gear. The SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody status was assessed at three different time points in 450 HCW of the University Hospital Essen in Germany. HCW were stratified according to contact frequencies with COVID-19 patients in (I) a high-risk group with daily contacts with known COVID-19 patients (n = 338), (II) an intermediate-risk group with daily contacts with non-COVID-19 patients (n = 78), and (III) a low-risk group without patient contacts (n = 34). The overall seroprevalence increased from 2.2% in March–May to 4.0% in June–July to 5.1% in October–December. The SARS-CoV-2 IgG detection rate was not significantly different between the high-risk group (1.8%; 3.8%; 5.5%), the intermediate-risk group (5.1%; 6.3%; 6.1%), and the low-risk group (0%, 0%, 0%). The overall SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence remained low in HCW in western Germany one year after the outbreak of COVID-19 in Germany, and hygiene standards seemed to be effective in preventing patient-to-staff virus transmission.

scholarly journals Trends, Coverage and Influencing Determinants of Influenza Vaccination in the Elderly: A Population-Based National Survey in Spain (2006–2017)

Vaccines ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 327
Author(s):  
Silvia Portero de la Cruz ◽  
Jesús Cebrino
Keyword(s):  
Influenza Vaccination ◽  
Chronic Diseases ◽  
Vaccination Coverage ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Risk Groups ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Significant Public Health

Influenza is a significant public health problem and the elderly are at a greater risk of contracting the disease. The vaccination coverage of the elderly is below the Spanish target of 65% for each influenza season. The aims of this study were to report the coverage of influenza vaccination in Spain among the population aged ≥65 years and high-risk groups for suffering chronic diseases, to analyze the time trends from 2006 to 2017 and to identify the factors which affect vaccination coverage. A nationwide cross-sectional study was conducted including 20,753 non-institutionalized individuals aged ≥65 years who had participated in the Spanish National Health Surveys in 2006, 2011/2012, and 2017. Sociodemographic, health-related variables, and influenza vaccination data were used. A logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the variables associated with influenza vaccination. Influenza vaccination coverage was 60%. By chronic condition, older people with high cholesterol levels and cancer had the lowest vaccination coverage (62.41% and 60.73%, respectively). This coverage declined from 2006 to 2017 in both groups. Higher influenza vaccination was associated with males, Spanish nationality, normal social support perceived, polypharmacy, worse perceived health, participation in other preventive measures, and increasing age and the number of chronic diseases.

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