Mark H. Sawyer1, Hajime Kamiya
1, Michelle De Guire
1, Wendy Wang
1, Robert Vryheid
1, K. Michael Peddecord
2, John M. Fontanesi
1, Kathleen W. Gustafson
3, and Barbara H. Bardenheier
4. (1) San Diego Immunization Partnership, UC San Diego, County of San Diego HHSA Immunization Branch, PO Box 85222, Mail Stop P511B, 3851 Rosecrans Street, San Diego, CA, USA, (2) Graduate School of Public Health, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Drive MC - 4161, San Diego, CA, USA, (3) San Diego County Immunization Branch, County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency, PO Box 85222, Mail Stop P511B, 3851 Rosecrans Street, San Diego, CA, USA, (4) NIP/ISD/HSREB, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Rd, NE, MS-E52, Atlanta, GA, USA
Learning Objectives for this Presentation:
By the end of the presentation participants will be able to describe the range of effort put forth by 20 hospitals to provide influenza vaccine to their healthcare workers and list the types of interventions used.
Background:
Healthcare worker (HCW) annual influenza immunization coverage rates are inadequate (<50%) in the US. Each year hospitals engage in a variety of activities to promote flu shots among their staff. The San Diego Hospital Influenza Immunization Project, a collaborative effort of 20 hospitals and the County of San Diego HHSA Immunization Branch, was formed to share information and raise HCW influenza immunization rates across the entire community.
Objectives:
To document the efforts of 20 hospitals in San Diego County to immunize their HCW population.
Methods:
A key informant interview will be conducted in December 2005 with Infection Control, Occupational Health, pharmacy personnel, and hospital administrators in each of 20 hospitals in San Diego County to document the specific HCW influenza immunization activities in each facility. A standardized data collection form will be used weekly to document the types of effort and time spent, and number of doses of influenza vaccines given.
Results:
Preliminary results from our key informant interviews and workload data collection will be presented to reflect the variation in approach to HCW influenza immunization across an entire community. The methods of promoting and administering influenza vaccines in different hospitals will be analyzed. The efforts and barriers to implementing HCW influenza vaccination will be addressed. Information will be shared between participating hospitals to stimulate the implementation of new innovative HCW immunization strategies in 2006-2007.
Conclusions:
The amount of effort extended by hospitals to immunize their HCW varies across hospitals and many hospitals have developed innovative strategies to maximize coverage rates. Sharing of information between hospitals within a community can improve the approaches to HCW influenza immunization.
See more of Vaccination of Health Care Workers: Understanding the Issues and Barriers
See more of The 40th National Immunization Conference (NIC)
Recorded presentation