11/10/11

Despite recent improvements in influenza vaccination rates among U.S. health care personnel, their rates for the 2010-2011 flu season still fell short of national health objectives, a new survey has shown.

Influenza vaccination coverage among all health care personnel for the 2010-2011 season was 63.5%, representing an increase over the 61.9% reported for the previous year. But that rate still fell short of the Healthy People 2020 coverage goal of 90%, Dr. Carolyn Bridges said during a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention telebriefing on influenza immunization coverage.

The most recent season’s results come from an Internet-based survey of 1,931 health care personnel, which the CDC and the Rand Corp. conducted in April 2011.

"The vaccination rates were highest among physicians, health care personnel working in hospital settings, and those aged 60 years and older," said Dr. Bridges of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.

Among the 13% of survey respondents whose workplace required influenza vaccination, the coverage rate was 98%, compared with 58% among the remaining respondents whose employers had no such requirement, she said.

In the absence of mandatory workplace immunization, offering the vaccine onsite at work, free of charge, and on more than 1 day were associated with an increased likelihood of influenza vaccination, Dr. Bridges stated.

Onsite vaccination in particular was a "key strategy," she said, noting that the coverage rate among respondents who had the onsite option was 66%, compared with 38.5% among those who did not.

AMDA promotes immunizations in the long-term care setting. Most recently, the AMDA House of Delegates passed the revised position statement "Mandatory Immunizations for Long Term Care Workers." The document references AMDA’s support for a mandatory influenza vaccination for "every long term health care worker who has direct patient contact unless a medical contraindication or religious objection exists" and "encourage caregivers (both professional health care workers and family caregivers) to obtain these vaccinations." CfA

Diana Mahoney is with the New England bureau of Elsevier Global Medical News.