Learning Objectives for this Presentation:
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
• Identify information that nurses and nurse supervisors want about influenza and influenza vaccines
• Identify effective message strategies to encourage nurses to be vaccinated.


Background:
CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends that all health care providers receive influenza vaccinations, primarily to reduce transmission to patients, yet only about 38 percent do. To persuade nurses to get vaccinated, CDC developed educational materials based on its research indicating that nurses need more information about influenza and influenza vaccination, and materials should also focus on the nurse as a consumer.

Objectives:
To assess the effectiveness of CDC's educational materials and messages before revising existing or creating new materials for nurses.

Methods:
As a follow-up to focus groups conducted in 2004, 45 in-depth interviews were conducted with African American and Caucasian nurses in Birmingham and Detroit in 2005. Onsite interviews were held with 32 nurses and telephone interviews were held with 13 nurse supervisors.

Results:
• Nurses use the terms influenza and flu interchangeably.
• Many nurses said they were not vaccinated against influenza in the 2004-2005 influenza season.
• Nurses expressed many of the same concerns about being vaccinated as members of the general public do.
• Materials with detailed information tended to motivate respondents to consider getting an influenza vaccine.


Conclusions:
Some nurses, just like members of the public, have concerns regarding influenza vaccine. Some also believe myths about the vaccine and the disease. To reach nurses who are reluctant to be vaccinated, educational materials and workshops should include detailed information presented in a simple, clear manner. The information should not be too technical or scientific. It should be widely distributed, though a variety of mechanisms and channels. For nurses who are amenable to being vaccinated, less detailed materials are effective behavioral triggers.